


Celestial Cages

by MandySpades



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Brief NaLi, Canon has been slowly roasted at 225 degrees and carved for juicy bits, Dragons are actually parents, Everything but NaLu and GaLe established, F/M, Fluff, Highschool AU, Implied Sexual Content, Loke ships it, More Fluff, Soulmarks, Soulmate AU, Tale as Old as Time, burn as slow as fuck, magic is secret
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-02-11 09:02:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 145,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12931986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MandySpades/pseuds/MandySpades
Summary: The magic council keeps the presence of magic hidden from most of the world, limiting its legal use to magical guilds. The disappearance of the dragons 7 years ago marks the end of the biggest war the world never knew about. The day before her soul mark appears, Lucy walks into a seemingly normal pub looking for a job. Instead she finds a magical world, one her Mother belonged to before she died, one that her Father tried to cover up. Lucy's life is turned upside down, and between school, her job, and figuring out her messy soul mate situation, she sets out to find her Mother's lost gate keys. Dark guilds are searching for both for her and her keys, hoping to use them god knows how, but it seems the war her Mother died for isn't over yet. NaLu, GaLe, Gruvia, Jerza, all that good stuff.





	1. Lucy's Legasy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seven years ago the dragons disappeared, taking with them the dangers of another dark age. The public were completely safe from magic, demons, and apocalypses. Now they are safe again to hide beneath myths and conspiracies of the modern world. Even soul marks, the tattoo that appears at midnight on the seventeenth birthday of everyone on earth, is considered more science then magic.
> 
> Many places in Fiore practise magic in secret, though now the dragons are gone the council keep a close eye on guilds - both to make sure magic stays secret, and in case the guilds need to be called them to arms. The most destructive of these guilds was Fairy Tail, housing three dragon slayers. Only because they were such a strong group of mages did the coucil allow them to carry on; so much accidental destruction often occured that it made exposing magic to the public seem almost enivitable.
> 
> Still, hidden behind the guise of a pub named 'The Guildhall', Fairy Tail lives on in the city of Magnolia, protecting its citizens as dark guilds begin to attack the naive non-magic townsfolk.
> 
> The longer the dragons are gone, the more powerful the dark guilds are growing. War is coming.

_Dear Mum,_

_For a Saturday, today was a little stressful._

_Granted, Father did actually wait a week before trying another way of dragging me back home. This time it was even legal._

_To be honest, after private investigators, and the almost kidnapping, this tactic was kind of tame for him._

_He wrote a letter the the headmaster of 'Magnolia's Academy for Young Ladies and Gentlemen' expressing that he wasn't going to be paying any more tuition fees._

_Don't worry though; Levy, as always, came to the rescue._

_You know I told you about her internship at her Dad's law firm, last summer? Well one of the cases she was working on was for an old landlady here in Magnolia. She had couple of noisy tenants that weren't listening to eviction notices._

_One phone call to Levy's Dad and I had a place at a local High School, and the landlady in question was organising a rent agreement for me. Everything was finished by the time the school's chauffeurs came around to pick me up; and trust me, those drivers are pretty dang quick what with the heirs and heiresses lack of patience._

_I'll miss the nice food, the library, and Levy most of all, but it'll be nice to actually be out in the real world for a change. I can just imagine Father's face when he hears his only heir is going to graduate from a public high school._

_I doubt graduating from the academy would make much of a difference, certainly not where Dad's concerned. He's still convinced I'm going to be a foriegn embassador in the family buisness.  
_

_I know how lucky I am to have dodged his latest scheme, but Father's timing is as irritating as ever. Levy and I planned a birthday picnic on the roof of our dorm tonight. We were going to watch the stars until my soul mark appears. Still, when she's finished on the phone to her Dad, I'm sure we'll have a good movie night in my new apartment._

_Missing you, as always._   
_Love,  
Lucy._

I set the letter aside, letting the ink dry before I put it in an envelope, where it'd join the rest in the bottom of my chest of draws.

I lent back in my desk chair and stretched, hearing footsteps coming from the other room. I turned in my seat just in time to see Levy pushing the door open, a grin on her face.

"All finished?" I asked.

"Everything's in your name," she replied, skipping over to the new plastic wrapped mattress and sitting down.

I smiled at her, looking around the room, a small knot of guilt tightening as I mumbled,

"I still can't believe your Dad bought all the furniture for this place..."

Levy rolled her eyes.

"Lu, how many times do I have to tell you; it's a small thank you from my Dad for helping with my research over the years. Technically it's also an early birthday present!"

I smiled to myself, feeling glad but still not entirely comfortable with Levy's Dad paying for my new life. I hated when _my_ Father spent money on me, let alone someone else's.

The apartment was small compared with the huge dorm Levy and I had shared, but that made it feel safer - less likely to draw my Father's attention. Strawberry Street was about five minutes from the town centre, and my apartment spanned the top floor of the landlady's flat below.

She was an old woman, and very grouchy, though of course she softened like butter for Levy - most people tended to.

She'd handed over the key after I'd signed a few papers, making it very clear she was giving me the only key, so I couldn't loose it.

I strung it on the necklace I always wore, and it now hung beneath my school dress, sitting beside the ornate gold key my Mum had left me.

Though it looks like a golden key, I hadn't found anything that it opened on the Heartfelia estate. But it was the only thing I was allowed to keep of Mum's after she died, and I kept it round my neck in case my Father tried to get rid of it like the rest of Mum's belongings.

Still, I had a lot of things that were just mine now; my apartment had been filled with brand furniture, either covered in plastic wrap or still adorned with their price tags. There were two sofas and an arm chair out in the small living room, both swaddled in bubble wrap, and set around the fireplace.

Levy's Dad had even splashed out on a television, attached to the wall above a table and chairs, the open kitchenette being too small to have space for eating.

As the kitchen was only seperated from the living room by an archway, the only doors were the door to the staircase that led down to street level, and the door to my bedroom, inside of which was the bathroom just big enough to house a bath. It was adorably cosy, which only made me feel more guilty for taking it.

I fiddled with the two keys on my necklace nervously.

The apartment key was much colder than the gold one, though that always felt warm because it lay against my skin day and night. I haven't taken it off in ten years, and though it was the only thing of hers I owned, I know it was important to her. The maid told me she'd never gone anywhere without it.

I still remember Spetto telling me about it in the bath, trying to comfort me the first time I'd been thrown out of Father's office.

"See those little squiggly lines on the fob," she'd said, pointing to the engraving on the key, "that's the symbol of Aquarius. She's a warrior maiden who can control water."

My vision was a little blurry from crying and I blinked heavily to try and clear it, looking down at the golden key as Spetto wiped a tear off my cheek.

"Aquarius can raise a tsunami," she'd said, "she can shield you from rainstorms, and even stop tears."

"Lu?!" Levy half sung, jolting me out of my revery. She was looking at me cautiously. "You're not still stewing in guilt, are you?"

I sat up, tucking the necklace of keys out of sight,

"No, no...just thinking about tonight." Levy grinned, reached a hand over her shoulder thoughtfully, runing her fingers over the soul mark that had shown up a few months back.

I got to my feet and picked up the elaborate skirts of my Academy uniform pointedly,

"We should probably get changed out of these, I doubt shop keepers would give jobs to people from the academy."

Levy smirked, doubtlessly envisioning some of our classmates trying to sell groceries.

She walked over to my trunk of clothes, asking,

"Okay if I borrow something?" I snorted,

"Since your Dad just bought my life back, do you really think I'm going to say no?" Levy pouted at me,

"So you're saying you're only nice to me because of my Dad's money...?"

I rolled my eyes at her, got up, and walked over to the trunk of clothes.

* * *

Since moving in had taken most of the day, we rushed around town all afternoon, searching for jobs in every store within a mile of my new apartment.

My first choice of job would've been a shop clerk, but every clothing shop, grocery store, and market stall turned me down because I didn't have any experience.

As evening started to draw in, Levy and I resorted to asking for work in bars or kitchens.

Though serving drinks to sleazy men wasn't at the top of my list, I had to pay the rent somehow. The alternative was going home to be married off.

The closest bar to my flat was called 'The Guildhall', and it was pretty livly judging from the sounds of yelling and crashing inside. Levy stopped outside the doors, glancing at me sceptically at the sound of what sounded like chairs splintering.

I felt like I had to at least check the place out, so taking a deep breath, I pushed open one of the double doors.

Walking over the threshold I felt like I'd crossed a barrier, the noise level having skyrocketed so much I hestitated in the doorway, looking around. Though I saw a few people arm wrestling and a small brawl between three men in the corner, the atmosphere seemed friendly, despite being a little intense.

Trying to ignore the looks Levy and I were starting to attract, I set my shoulders back and walked up to the bar, heading for the white haired bar girl currently fixing drinks. Reaching the bar, I waited for her to finish serving, spotting the badge on her red dress - 'Mira Jane'.

Mira Jane pushed a couple of tankards across the bar and turned to me, smiling sweetly,

"What can I get ya?"

I smiled back,

"I was wondering if you had any jobs going at the moment?"

Mira Jane smiled,

"If you've got a soul mark to prove your over 17, I'm sure we could sort some bar work out."

I gave a shaky laugh and lent a little over the bar, lowering my voice,

"Er, I can't really show my mark out in public, if you know what I mean..."

The bar maid nodded, and opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a gruff voice to my left,

"Mira Jane, I don't believe Miss Heartfelia is old enough to work behind a bar."

A tiny old man was walking along the top of the bar, smiling down at me as he sat down on the countertop next to Mira. The bar girl raised her eyebrows,

"Do you know this young lady Master Makarov?"

I worked hard to keep a straight face as I heard the old man's title, inwardly praying I wasn't asking for a job in some kind of pimp bar.

I don't _think_ a pimp would wear an orange and blue sweater, socks, and joker hat, but it's not really something I was told about, being brought up on the Heartfelia estate.

"Of course I know her," Makarov said, smiling down at me warmly, "she looks more like her Mother now then she did when she was a baby."

The man looked me up and down, a frown creasing his forehead,

"I confess however, I'm a little confused why you've strung Aquarius' gate key on a necklace."

I stared at Makarov, wondering how the heck he could know what the key symbolised. Father had always maintained that the Heartfelia's are friends with only the most prestigious families in Fiore. Mum had one close friend in the city, sure, but I found it hard to believe that friend was Makarov.

Makarov continued to stare at Aquarius' key, and I clasped it reflexivly, hiding it from view as I said,

"It doesn't unlock anything."

Makarov frowned at me,

"Of course it does. How else would you summon your celestial spirits without opening their gates?!"

Oh...so he's not a pimp...he's just crazy.

Should've picked up on that from the jester's hat.

"I tell you," Makarov said, happy to ramble on while I stood there awkwardly, "I've been Master of Fairy Tail since before Layla Heartfelia joined, but there were very few like her..."

There was a bang from behind me and I turned around, Levy drawing closer to me as the doors of the pub flew open, smashing against the wall as two boys stormed through them.

The one with messy pink hair stomped inside, throwing his school bag onto a table, his white scarf flying out behind him. He turned on the black haired boy, yelling furiously,

"SATURDAY DETENTION IS NOT MY FAULT! YOU JUST STRIPPED DOWN IN THE HALL WAY AND CAME AT ME!"

The black haired boy dropped his bag, pulling off his loose tie and shucking off a school blazer, yelling,

"YOU SET FIRE TO MY LOCKER!"

The black haired boy started unbuttoning he shirt.

"WELL MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE ICED UP ALL MY BOOKS! DO YOU KNOW HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO EXPLAIN WHY YOU PUT ALL YOUR SCHOOL BOOKS IN A FREEZER?!"

The dark haired boy threw his shirt on the floor between them,

"YOU ASKING TO GET BEATEN UP AGAIN FLAME-BRAIN?!"

"OH I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY ICE-PRINCESS!"

And before my eyes, pinky's fist was enveloped in a ball of flames. The dark haired boy raised his own fist, his entire hand becoming encased in a boxing glove of ice.

Something large and flesh coloured flew over my head, and before either of the boys could throw a punch they jumped away from each other, the massive flesh coloured thing landing between them.

It took me a second to realise it was a gigantic fist. As I traced the fist back to its owner my mouth fell open in shock.

Fire and ice were one thing, but watching tiny Mr Makarov reel in his fist like a tape measure, making it shrink en route, made my brain freeze.

Makarov didn't seem fazed at all, yelling with a voice much louder than you'd expect from a man so small,

"WILL YOU BRATS STOP FIGHTING FOR ONE SECOND?! I'M TRYING TO WELCOME A NEW GUILD MEMBER!"

The two boys glared at eachother then slumped down on different tables.

The dark haired boy smashed his fist on the table top, shattering his ice punching glove, and sending shards of ice flying through the air. They hit the wall, floor, and several near by pub goers, sparking a sort of pub-wide brawl.

In seconds there were coloured objects, smoke, and flashes of light soaring around the room, not a drop of alcohol spilling as tables were turned over and chairs were sent flying.

Makarov sighed exasperatedly, like it was more trouble than it was worth to stop them now, and instead looked back at me and Levy. He looked a little concered at our shocked expressions, half shouting over the din of fighting,

"I may be wrong, but I'm getting the impression that neither of you are aware Layla was a celestial wizard."

I cleared my throat, half suprised, half impressed to hear myself answer,

"No Mr Makarov. We didn't know."

* * *

Makarov asked Mira Jane to try and calm the fighting down, leading Levy and I over to a table in the very corner of the Guildhall.

We were as far away from the fighting as possible, but Makarov still kept half an eye out in case any flying furniture came out way.

Strangely, the first thing he did was give us a warning about not joining the guild. To keep magic secret, all those who didn't belong to a registered guild had their memories wiped by the magic council.

I couldn't imagine many people walking out the door at being told magic was real, but Levy and I had additional reasons to stay. I could practically see Levy's brain working away at all the different aspects of magic she wanted to research, but I was sold on joining purely to hear what Makarov knew about my Mother.

Makarov, though pleased, said he was rather confused about something.

"You can't get into the pub if you haven't known magic." Makarov explained. "One of our members, who specialises in rune and barrier magic, put up a kind of safety net. If anyone who doesn't know magic walks through those doors, they get stuck just inside the door, and the magic council comes to modify their memory. So obviously, you both know magic, but you both seemed confused to see it in action."

Levy looked stunned, glancing at me breifly in confusion - clearly she had no idea how she'd come to 'know' magic.

My story of magic however was revealed by Makarov.

He said that he couldn't blame my Father for hiding it after my Mother passed away. Makarov said he probably did it to protect me from the magical world, as it was such an unsafe world to grow up in.

I didn't buy it. Levy and I were both heiresses to multinational businesses. The world was already an unsafe place. To be honest, having magic to keep you safe seemed a more effective protection then any body guards could ever be. No, my Father must've hidden it to keep me under his thumb.

Makarov told me that the coma my Mother had been found in wasn't random (as the doctors had told us). As a 'celestial mage' her body had been examined by magic council members. They'd concluded that her death was the result of having all her magic drained from her body. How it'd been done, no one was sure.

"But I must ask," Makarov said, leaning forwards importantly, "do you know anything of the location of Layla's other golden keys?"

I shook my head.

"My Father gave me Aquarius' key at her funeral. I guessed he sold the rest."

Makarov's brow furrowed, and he hestiated for a second before saying grimly,

"The reason I'm asking, is that I've had word from another guild that their celestial mage has disappeared. The council is now worried that dark guilds are trying to steal gate keys and their contractors. The fact that you still have your key is comforting, but we should try and keep your whereabouts unknown as far as it is possible.

"I urge the both of you to use all the resources Fairy Tail has to offer to train up, just in case dark guilds come looking for a celestial mage in Magnolia. I'd suggest, as both of you seem new to magic, that you start with the books in our library—"

I could practically feel Levy's excitement

"—but that'll have to wait until tomorrow," Makarov said sterly, "the streets are dangerous at night. I'd feel better if both you got home before dark."

* * *

We walked back to Strawberry Street along the river bank, stopping only to pick up some dinner, Levy ranting about her priority topics to research tommorow morning.

I had a feeling she knew I wasn't listening properly, but she seemed content to let me nod occasionally as I fiddled with the gold key around my neck.

When we got back to the flat I padded over to the kitchen, dishing our food up onto plates as Levy went to chain into a pair of my pajamas.

It didn't take long, so by the time I made it into my bedroom, I walked in to see Levy searching for a matching pyjama top in my trunk.

She was wearing a pair of loose shorts and a bra, leaving her white soul mark visible on her left shoulder blade.

It was a rolled up scroll pierced by a nail, and (as soul marks tended to reflect both partners) Levy's mark was one that made you a little apprehensive.

We'd stayed up to watch it appear, and she'd cryed for half an hour afterwards.

"I'm scared Lu." She'd whispered, tears streaming down her face and arms wrapped around her legs. "Who nails a rolled up scroll to something?! you wouldn't be able to read anything without ripping it. And I'm definitely the scroll...so does that mean...my soul mate will..."

She'd broken off crying, and it'd taken a long while to calm her down.

Thankfully, I'd been imaginative enough to say she might meet someone who'd nail her a job in translation.

It was a good enough explanation at the time, but her reaction when soul marks cropped up in conversation showed it was still a touchy subject.

We both knew that finding your soul mate means you're stuck with them; whether that means the friendship of a life time, or a romance worthy of a movie.

Some soul mates were best friends, absolutely nothing more, and certainly nothing to be nervous about. A lot of people never found their soul mate, never met them while they were alive. My parents had married out of love, despite not being soul mates.

Still, it made me wonder; at midnight tonight, when I felt the burning of a soul mark on my skin, would it be the mark of something evil? Abuse could still happen amongst soul mates. It was what Levy was so terrified of.

Levy was waving a hand at me, and I shook my head, zoning back in to see she'd found the appropriate pajama top.

She was looking at me with concern, asking gently,

"Your Mum, or your soul mark?"

"…My Soul mark," I said, smiling a little nervously.

Levy grinned,

"You have got to wake me up and show me, kay?"

I walked over to the trunk, and began to change, promising,

"I'll show you as long as it's not in a really weird place."

I unbuttoned my shorts, letting them fall to my ankles as I took off my top, Levy sniggering behind me.

"Lu, you're literally in your underwear right now. If it's on your butt, I'm not gonna be weirded out that much."

I turned around and threw my top at her, embarrassed but smiling all the same.

* * *

We ended up sleeping on the two sofas in the sitting room, using blankets to keep warm while we watched some soul-mark chick flicks.

We were both too tired to take all the plastic off the bed, and it was very easy to fall asleep in the middle of a cheesy rom-com with a stomach full of ice cream.

Despite my nerves, I drifted off not long after Levy, but woke up at exactly midnight with a burning sensation on my right hand. In the dim light from the TV screen I saw a shape darkening on the back of my hand.

Not daring to look away as the mark formed, I reached out with my left hand and grabbed a cushion, throwing it at the sofa opposite.

There was a muffled 'oof' that signalled Levy waking up, and I sat up, saying aloud,

"It's on my hand."

Levy rolled off her sofa and scampered over, sitting down next to me as I held my hand out between us.

The burning began to subside, the skin around the mark glowing a faint pink before all sensation faded.

I was now the proud owner of a wierdly shaped, pink tattoo.

Neither of us spoke for a moment.

"What the heck is that meant to be?" I asked, staring at the back of my hand. "It looks like maybe a heart in the middle there...actually no it doesn't."

Levy pulled my hand closer to her.

"It looks kinda like a warped—" she looked up suddenly, shaking my marked hand, "—Lu what if it's a fairy?!"

I stared at her, then at my hand.

"How the hell is that a fairy?"

Levy pointed at my the mark, running her finger down the straight line,

"These are the legs," she tapped the triangle at the end, "these are the feet."

She traced her finger upwards to the pointed beak-like top, "that's the head, and these," she pointed at two tendrils coming off the shape like flames, "are the wings."

Her finger hovered over the last trendril which is forked at the end,

"If this is a tail..."

I snorted,

"You're telling me fairies have tails?" Levy raised her eyebrows,

"Well what do you think it looks like?"

I opened my mouth, but couldn't think of anything to say, so closed it.

"Lu, if it is a fairy, don't you think it's a bit too much of a co-incidence that we walked into a magical guild named Fairy Tail? A guild your Mum was in before she—"

Levy stopped abruptly, apparently not wanting to mention Mum's death so explicitly first thing on my birthday. She hesitated a second longer, then tried to pick up the same tone of excitement,

"…What I mean is, what if it's a sign your soul mate is in Fairy Tail?"

I frowned slightly, understanding where she was coming from, but still a bit uncertain.

"Maybe my soul mate is gay," I said slowly, "hence the fairy bit? Maybe I'm gay and don't know it?"

Levy didn't look convinced but I pulled my hand away from her, turning both hands palm up to expose my inner wrists.

We both fell silent, watching.

I bit my lip as the two names began burning into my skin, one on the inside of each wrist. They would vanish in a few minutes, so we both had to remember what appeared.

One would be the name of the person most dear to me, and one would be my arch-nemesis - according to legend anyway.

Most people now a days just had a really big fight with someone instead of becoming mortal enemies.

Still, the mystery was pretty cool, not knowing which name belonged to your enemy and which was your 'dearly beloved'. It was also kinda funny when, like Levy, they both said the same name.

I squinted at the name on my right wrist - the shortest one which seemed to have finished writing itself.

_Natsu_

Levy tried pronouncing it,

"Knat-soo…? Naaa-tsoo?"

I snorted at the attempt but spotting the name on my left wrist, shoved it towards her,

"Try saying that; Ac-nol-ogia? Who the heck calls a kid Acnologia? Sounds like a disease."

"Maybe Acnologia is the worst cold you'll ever have, one that you'll get on your first date with Naafoo—" she checked my wrist, the words beginning to fade, "no, sorry, Natsu...to be honest they're both pretty unique names. Ooo, maybe they're the same person like mine, it's just one is a nickname?"

I shrugged, watching my wrists as the writing faded.

Levy retreated back to her sofa, and I pulled my blanket up to my chin.

I felt a little relieved. At the very least, my soul mark didn't look too ominous.

I lay back on the sofa, raising my right hand to look at my new soul mark.

Visiting a magical guild tomorrow seemed more intimidating now than ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yo, first chapter, boring as most other first chapters. Thought I'd slip in a small fact in case you found it a waste of time reading it;
> 
> Different species of Dolphin babysit each others kids while the parents dive down to hunt. How cute is that!
> 
> Hope to see you in the next chapter :D  
> M


	2. Soul Mate Secrets

I wore gloves the next day.

Thankfully, they didn't look out of place in the chilly September morning.

I really hoped Mr Makarov didn't know my exact birthday. If he asked to see my soul mark and thought it was a Fairy, like Levy, my best friend was sure to make me her newest research subject.

Last time that happened I fell off the roof at the academy and broke my leg.

I'd sworn only to help her with books from them on.

When Levy and I walked into 'The Guildhall' neither of us saw Mr Makarov anywhere.

A girl with waist length red hair stood up at the bar, waving us over, and sat between the two boys who'd stormed into the pub yesterday.

They were both looking in opposite directions, leaning against the bar, the black haired boy looking stern, and pinky looking sulky.

Though the red haird girl looked a little stoney, she smiled at us.

"Levy and Lucy? I'm Erza Scarlet. Master Makarov told me you'd be coming. He's away at a council meeting this morning, so it falls to me to show you around. Unfortunately, my studies need attending to, so these boys—" Erza smacked the boys pointedly, making both of them stand up straight, "—have kindly volunteered to give you a tour."

Erza patted the dark haired boy on the shoulder,

"Gray will show you around the guild Lucy."

Erza pushed pinky forwards,

"Levy, Natsu will be your guide for the day."

Levy and I glanced at each other, both thinking the same thing.

"Something the matter?" Erza asked, her tone suddenly stern.

"No," I said, "nope, nothing wrong!" She nodded, obviously unconvinced, but pushed the two boys forwards.

"Now you'll both be on your best behaviour...won't you?"

The boys both muttered,

"Yes M'am," both boys muttered, neither looking at Erza or each other.

Erza seemed to think this was good enough however, because she marched off towards one of the doors leading off the pub floor.

Natsu turned on his heel and began slouching towards the other door that led of the bar floor, Levy following at a trot behind him.

Gray didn't move. I didn't know whether it was because he couldn't be asked, or because he was thinking of where to take me - his blank expression gave me nothing to work with.

Feeling a little awkward I asked,

"So...how big is this place that I need a tour guide?"

"Bigger then it was," he said, looking bored but offering a small grimace, "it got blown apart seven years ago, but we rebuilt it."

I stared at him, wondering whether to ask how it got blown up, but he gestured with his head towards the door Erza had disappeared through, saying,

"Come on, I'll show you the pool.

* * *

The door that Gray led me through opened onto a stair case that lead two floors up and three floors down.

He started descending the steps, and it took almost all three flights to get more than a one word answer out of him.

He seemed more interested when I asked him how long Natsu had been dying his hair pink.

"Looks stupid doesn't it," Gray said, looking over his shoulder at me.

Clearly I was supposed to agree, but it didn't look that bad so I said,

"Er...it's very unique..."

Gray seemed to take that as agreement of its stupidity and smiled.

I saw the shimmering reflections of light bouncing off water shining onto the stairs below us, but was distracted from the pretty pattern as I noticed Gray unbuttoning his shirt.

Remembering him stripping down yesterday I tried not to think much of it, but as he flung his shirt up and over his head, and the garment landed on my face, I drew the line at the sound of his belt being unbuckled.

I stopped on the stairs, and tugged his shirt off my head, asking,

"Why are you getting undressed?"

Gray made a sound of disbelief, and re-buckled his belt, grimacing as he turned around to take his shirt from me.

"Sorry," he said casually, "it's a habit."

Apparently unease was visible in my expression, because he carried on,

"I'm an ice wizard. My master trained me to always be as cold as possible when using my magic. The easiest way to do that was wearing as little as possible. Juvia says I start undressing subconsciously whenever I think about fighting Natsu."

"Oh...okay," I said, not entirely reassured but trying to remain optimistic, " I suppose that, makes sense..."

Gray led the way down the rest of the stairs, busy rebuttoning his shirt while we walked out on pool side, and not noticing the girl sitting on a beach chair and glaring daggers at me.

She began striding towards us, eyes narrowed, and when Gray looked up he smiled at her.

"Lucy this is Juvia. Juvia, this is—"

"—another love rival."

I took a step away from Gray awkwardly,

"Er...hi. Not a love rival. Just Lucy."

Juvia strode up to Gray and pulled him forwards by the collar of his shirt, displaying such excessive PDA I had to look away.

When there was the sound of someone pool water splashing I chanced a look back.

Juvia had dragged Gray under water, and clearly her magic was something to do with water, because they seemed to be floating in a bubble beneath the surface - still making out.

Feeling that I'd seen enough of the pool area, I headed back towards the stairs, climbing up to the door that led into the bar.

Intending to find Levy (and telling myself it was for reasons other than meeting Natsu) I started walking over to the door they'd gone through earlier.

Half way there I was stopped by Mira Jane, who was waving at me and calling my name from behind the bar.

I walked over to her, returning her smile as she asked,

"You alright Lucy?" Mira looked back at the door I'd just walked through. "Where's Gray? I thought he was showing you around?"

I grimaced awkwardly,

"We met someone called Juvia downstairs..." Mira Jane opened her mouth a silent 'ohhhh' and gave me a sympathetic look,

"Yeah, she can be a little possessive when meeting new people. She's great when you get to know her though. Is there anything I can point you in the direction of?"

Knowing where Levy would end up sooner or later I nodded,

"Yeah, how do I get to the library?" Mira Jane pointed towards the door that Natsu had led Levy through,

"Through there and down the steps as far as you can go. Come back if you need anything else, kay?"

"Thanks," I said, walking over to the door and pushing it open to see another stairwell - two flights up, three flights down.

On this stair case however, there were books set into the walls all the way down to the bottom.

I doubt Levy would've wanted to see anywhere else once Natsu had shown her this.

I trotted down the stairs, spotting her blue head of hair as soon as I reached the bottom.

Levy was sitting at one of the few tables amongst the tall shelves.

She looked up as I approached, clearly buzzing with excitement but thankfully waiting till I reached her before whisper shouting,

"I found your soul mate!"

I looked at her warily,

"So Natsu is the—" Levy nodded frantically,

"Yup it's him! On the stairs I caught sight of his shoulder. There's a big red version of your soul mark on his upper arm, but here's the weird bit...I told him I just wanted to see the library and he laughed, cause apparently his girlfriend comes down here all the time. His girlfriend who is also his soul mate."

I felt my heard sink slightly,

"Well then obviously his mark's slightly different from mine. There's no such thing as three way soul mates." I felt a sinking in my stomach. "That's not a thing, right?"

I was not into gonna be into that.

Levy shook her head,

"Don't think so, but I'm sure your marks are the same because his girlfriend does transformation magic. If they were dating before their marks showed up, she might've—"

"—transformed her mark to match his." I finished.

Levy nodded happily.

I rubbed the back of my gloved hand,

"We don't know anything for sure yet."

"Maybe, but I bet with a bit of digging we can find out."

I held up a hand,

"Woah, I'm not digging into someone's relationship and starting a fight. I don't want to split anyone up, soul mate or not. People date people who aren't their soul mate all the time!"

"But what if your soul mate is being tricked into a relationship against his better judgement?! He doesn't know his girlfriend's not his soul mate! And if you did get end up together, your Dad wouldn't be able to interfere with your life. Soul mate laws would come into play! You could even fake it if you're the best friend kind of soul mate!"

"I don't even know Naafoo—"

"—Natsu."

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes. "I'm not interested in breaking someone up just so I can be happy. And soul mate laws require marriage, you know that."

"But—"

"Levy, I'm not breaking up two people who are in love to live an easy life."

Levy slouched and turned back to her book.

Trying to sound upbeat, I changed the subject,

"What're you reading?"

"It's a book on script magic," she said, trailing a finger along one of the lines of text, "it's magic that conjures words into their literal form."

Levy picked up a book on the chair next to her and handed it over to me,

"I spotted this too. Thought you'd find it interesting."

I took it from her, reading the black print title:

_A Beginners Guide to the Celestial Realm_

"Thanks," I said, sinking down into the seat next to her.

* * *

I read pages and pages on summoning celestial spirits with their gate keys.

All of it told me Mum's magic was a lot more complicated than pointing a key at something and getting stuff to appear.

The contracts of celestial spirits could get confusing if you had more than one. Certain spirits would only appear on certain days, at certain times, and some could only be summoned in certain conditions.

The pictures made it easier, and there were pages upon pages of artists renditions of celestial keys. I took off my necklace and held it along side the page to compare it to the drawing of Aquarius' key.

Most of the keys in the index were silver, but twelve of the drawings were done in gold. Those keys belonged to the twelve zodiac members, the most powerful spirits out of the 88 constellations. It was amoung them that I found a drawing that matched the key on my necklace exactly.

Both key and drawing had engravings of two zig zagging lines. The sketch was titled;

_The Gate Key of Aquarius - the Water Bearer_

Levy agreed that this probably meant she had to be summoned in water, and when I suggested a break from reading Levy grudgingly agreed, coming with me to see what Aquarius would look like when summoned.

We put the books back and went upstairs, coming out into the pub and walking over to Mira.

Levy and I agreed that it was probably better summoning Aquarius in private, instead of in a glass of water on the pub floor.

Mira Jane pointed us in the direction of the bathrooms, and we walked quickly over to the door marked 'ladies'.

We checked that all the stalls were empty, then I hurried over to the sink, Levy watching as I turned on the tap and put the golden key beneath it.

Nothing happened.

"Aquarius?" I asked, my voice echoing off the bathroom walls.

Still nothing.

"Maybe you have to say something specific?" Levy suggested. "I guess you need magic words to summon her."

I tried again,

"Gate Open!"

Nothing.

I tried sounding firmer, more commanding,

"Aquarius, I summon thee...open your gate!" Levy gave me a small smile,

"Try a knock knock joke."

I grinned nervously, trying to rephrase it again,

"Open, gate of the water bearer—"

There was the sound of a doorbell and plume of smoke burst into existence between Levy and I.

Emerging from the smoke, inches from my nose, was a very angry face.

I backed up a few steps, the smoke clearing to reveal a blue haired mermaid, glaring at me like I was her soul's mortal enemy.

She floated closer to lear over me, and I shrunk back a little under her glare.

"...Aquarius?" I asked.

"Ten years...ten FREAKING years brat, and you summon me from a bathroom tap?!"

I opened my mouth but nothing came out. I was too stunned to defend myself.

Aquarius however, wasn't finished ranting,

"It was annoying but understandable when you were summoning me in a bathtub at three years old. But now you can walk and talk properly, I EXPECT TO BE SUMMONED IN NICER PLACES!"

"I— I'm sorry." Aquarius pinched the bridge of her nose as if trying to collect herself,

"I suppose you don't even remember when I'm available to be summoned?!"

"I don't remember ever summoning you..." I said quietly.

I expected her to snap at my angrily, but the mermaid drew back a little. She looked very sour but not as angry as before.

"In our contract, your Mother made you the heir of my key. She thought I was best suited to protecting you, if the worst should happen. That being said—" Aquarius lent forwards so we were nose to nose again, "—if I _ever_ find myself getting summoned in a public toilet to save you from walking home alone, I will never let you live another second of you life, dry!"

"Dry?" I asked timidly.

Aquarius spun on the spot, holding out the large pot as water exploded from it like a volcano.

I yelled as ice cold water poured over me, soaking into my clothes and washing my fringe into my eyes.

I pushed my hair out of my eyes, blinking soundlessly as Aquarius said,

"Wednesdays only brat. Outside that, you'd better be dying if you summon me."

With that, she vanished in a puff of smoke.

Levy was staring at me wide eyed.

I was dripping onto the floor, but the bathroom tiles were bone dry - all water that hadn't soaked into my clothes apparently having returned to Aquarius' jug.

After a second I turned off the sink's still running tap, looking down at the key in my hand apprehensively.

"If all celestial spirits are like that," I said, stringing the key on my necklace again, "I think I might want to pick another branch of magic…"

Levy grimaced and walked over to me, patting my shoulder reassuringly, then wiping her hand on her dress,

"Let's go get you some towels.."

* * *

People looked around as we walked out the bathroom, laughing at the puddles I was leaving behind me. Levy led the way up to the bar, heading over to Mira Jane.

She was talking to Natsu and a girl who had short white hair, both sat on bar stools, and both turning as Mira looked at me wide eyed.

"Lucy?" She asked as I approached, taking in my sodden clothes and dripping hair. "What happened?"

I patted the necklace beneath my sodden shirt,

"My Celestial Spirit wasn't pleased when I summoned her from a bathroom tap...could I please borrow a towel?" Mira Jane nodded, speaking to the white haired girl next to Natsu,

"Lisanna, go get Lucy some towels and one of the spare uniforms out back,"

The girl stood up quickly, grimacing in sympathy,

"Follow me, it's just upstairs."

Levy took Lisanna's place beside Natsu while I followed her over to a set of stairs.

They led to a balcony that ran around the edge of the main hall. At the top, Lisanna kept walking, heading for the door straight ahead that was marked 'store room'.

Inside, I found the walls were covered in cubbyholes, each filled with supplies like extra tankards and cleaning cloths.

Next to a bench in the corner, there was a rail of red dresses hanging up. They looked identical to the one Mira was wearing downstairs.

Lisanna took one of these and folded it over her arm, carrying a small ladder over to the other side of the room so she could reach one of the top cubbyholes.

While she pulled down some towels I walked over ot the bench, slipping off my sodden shoes and peeling off my gloves.

I'd stripped down to my underwear by the time Lisanna had climbed down, putting the towels on the bench and holding the red dress out to me.

"Thanks," I said sheepishly, taking the dress from her, "sorry about this..."

Lisanna smiled at first but her face slackened as I took the dress from her. Her eyes were glued to the back of my bare right hand.

She clutched at her left thigh, fingers digging into the skin. Beneath them, I thought I could see a larger, white version of my soul mark.

So this was Natsu's girlfriend. As usual, Levy's theory had turned out to be right; Lisanna's horrified expression told me that the mark on her leg was fake.

I had to admit, meeting her was far more awkward then I'd imagined; both of us realising who the other was, while I stood half naked and sopping wet.

She stared at me, stammering,

"Y-you—"

"Soul mates can be friends!" I blurted out.

Lisanna stared at me. I swallowed quickly, half tripping over my words,

"I never expected to find my soul mate. Levy said you guys are already dating, so I guess me and Natsu are just meant to be best friends, y'know? It's really common, my Mum was soul mates with her best friend, I guess it runs in the family...I'm not here to stop— I don't want— I mean you clearly have a thing going and—"

Lisanna burst into tears.

She sunk to her knees, arms hugging her shoulders as they shook and she sobbed.

I'd started to shiver, but I didn't really feel like I could try myself off while Lisanna was on the floor crying, so I knelt down beside her.

I put a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at me, still crying, her voice quaking,

"I don't want him to leave me."

"Why would he leave you?"

She started sobbing,

"Because I've been lying to him every day for half a year. Because now he has you..."

Lisanna screwed up her eyes and hunched over.

I paused for a second, patting her shoulder, then said slowly,

"You don't have to tell him right this second..."

Lisanna looked up at me, her eyes wide.

I didn't know whether I was annoyed or not that my soul mate was dating someone who obviously cared about him. She was pretty cute too, even while crying her eyes out.

I smiled at her reassuringly,

"Maybe if we keep it a secret for a while, then you can find the right moment to tell him?"

I didn't have any idea how that would work but I carried on anyway,

"Look, I'm not here to break up any relationships. It's not gonna hurt him to conceal the fact that I'm his best friend ever. If you own up to it yourself he might be a little hurt, but doesn't you covering up your mark show how much you want to be with him?"

Lisanna sniffed, tears falling silently down her cheeks as she stared at me,

"What about you?"

I looked away for a second, thinking.

"I'll wear gloves for now." I said. "That way no one'll find out." Lisanna stared at me,

"You...you'd do that?" I grinned,

"Course - he's my soul mate, I want him to be happy. If being with you makes him happy, then I can wait for bestie sleepovers until you guys work stuff out."

Lisanna threw herself at me in a hug.

I was thankful I was on my knees, otherwise we would've gone over backwards. Having my soul mates girlfriend on top of me, and dressed only in sopping wet underwear, would've made the situation even worse.

Trying not to shiver too much, I patted her awkwardly on the back, trying not to think too much about what I was getting myself into (or whether Natsu was going to become my worst enemy once he found out).

Maybe Acnologia was a gentleman who would visit from a far off country...or maybe he was something Natsu was going to set on me when he found out I'd coerced his girlfriend into lying to him.

Lisanna drew back and wiped her eyes, giving me a watery smile,

"Thank you so much Lucy...I...I'm so sorry."

I smiled, trying to keep my teeth from chattering as I said,

"We both just want him to be happy right?"

Lisanna nodded, sniffing and standing up with a small smile,

"I'll leave you to get changed. Thanks, again I..." She trailed off.

Instead of trying to say anything else, she smiled at me.

I smiled back, watching her leave and close the door behind her.

I started roughly drying myself down, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in my chest.

It was disappointing that the soul mate laws would be useless against my Dad. That's why I was feeling dissapointed.

It was upsetting to know I wasn't the perfect dating material for one person. But it'd all be worth it when I saw how happy Natsu was.

That's what I kept telling myself as I towelled my hair dry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, another chapter, another fact; you may've read crappy fanfiction but, at the very least, you learnt something new.
> 
> In Ireland, when they had a monarchy, when a new King was crowned his subjects had to kiss his nipples, so people who were banned from becoming King had their nipples cut off.
> 
> Hope to see you in the next chapter (with a slightly less gruesome fact)  
> M


	3. Fairy Hills Toilet Thrills

The red dress-uniform fitted me pretty well. Once I'd wrung the worst of the water out of my gloves, it wasn't too uncomfortable putting them back on, but it's not like I had much choice.

Hanging my clothes over a radiator in the corner, I made my way downstairs and over to the bar.

Someone asked me for a drink as I crossed the pub floor, clearly too drunk to realise I wasn't Mira Jane.

I passed the order on when I reached the bar. Mira said I looked so good in my uniform, she'd let me get the drink if I was old enough.

As I was keeping my soul mark secret, I couldn't exactly say I was old enough, but I did ask if I could work here waitressing or something.

Apart having to watch the soul mate I barely knew kissing someone else, it felt like it'd be the perfect place to work. Mira thankfully, thought like wise, and rushed off to fetch some paper work for me to sign.

We went through it together when she came back, and seeing my wage on the second page in, I stopped her to work out how much I'd need to work for my rent.

As I had school, even if I worked evenings and weekends, I'd still be a few Jewel short, and that wasn't counting food expenses or bills.

Mira told me not to worry though. People in the magical community often approached guilds with small jobs for aspiring magicians, and I could make up the extra Jewel that way.

Relieved, and also a little excited at the prospect of going on magical jobs, I signed off on everything I needed to, then Mira asked Lisanna to show me round the kitchen.

Lisanna took her time showing me around the appliances, pantry, and celler (which had an entire section for someone called Cana). We chatted a lot, Lisanna clearly wanting to get to know me better.

Unfortunately, by the time Lisanna finished showing me round, I couldn't say there was anything I disliked about her.

I mean that's good, but...I dunno, disappointing?

Levy spotted us as we walked out of the kitchen. She stood up from where she was sat with two college boys, Lisanna told me were called Jet and Droy.

Both of them were looking excited, and had the unmistakable air of just having been roped into a Levy's latest research project.

God rest their souls.

Levy skipped over to us beaming, and I decided not to ask what she was so excited about. I didn't want to show too much enthusiasm for being a guinea pig for her next project.

Having told Lisanna about the short tour I'd gotten from Gray, and Levy's even smaller experience of walking down the steps to the library, Lisanna offered to give us an actual tour of the guild.

Though it didn't look it from the outside, Fairy Tail was massive, with its own hospital on the top floor, and a combat zone on the first.

The pub was on the ground floor, and was supposed to be kept magic free so the place looked normal, but Lisanna said Fairy Tail wasn't exactly known for following the rules.

The floor beneath the pub was a lounging area where alcohol was banned, essentially leaving it for the kids of Fairy Tail to use as a kind of playroom. There were couches spread out everywhere, coffee tables between them, and a television that was hooked up to some kind of gaming console.

The floor below that, above the pool level, was the dormitaries. This was where the kids of Fairy Tail lived. Makarov had adopted most of them after the 'dragons' disappeared.

"Dragons?" Levy asked, goggling at Lisanna as she grinned,

"Yeah, but I they're not quite what you think. They can transform into massive lizards, but most of the time, they're just wizards who eat the source of their magic. Their kids are called Dragon Slayers, mostly because Makarov said that having kids killed their terrifying vibe. Dragon slayers aren't nearly as powerful as their parents, but I dunno if that's because they haven't had as much time to train. They didn't have a lot of time to learn much before their parents disappeared."

"So all the dragons vanished?" I asked. "Just like that?"

Lisanna shook her head,

"Seven years ago there was this big war which the dragons fought in. We won, but all the dragons dissapeared without a trace. The whole thing was covered up by the council pretty fast, but a lot of wizards died in the fight. My parents died defending the guild."

"...I'm sorry." I said, knowing from personal experience that she was probably tired of hearing that.

Lisanna grimaced awkwardly, just like I usually did when people talked about my Mum, and Levy took on an overly upbeat tone of voice to change the course of the conversation.

"So is it fun living here?" She asked. "Surrounded by magic?"

Lisanna seemed to paint a smile back on her face,

"Oh yeah! Master Makarov takes good care of all of us. Most of the kids that made it out the war live downstairs. I'm not sure whether that's to protect us in case a dark guild attacks, or it's to make sneaking out harder. Like any of us would dare with Erza around."

I frowned, thinking on the red head that I'd met earlier, and asking,

"What's special about Erza?" Lisanna laughed,

"Oh she's lovely, but she can be pretty terrifying when she's angry. I dunno if even Laxus would cross her when she's really mad, and he's the toughest dragon slayer in Fairy Tail."

I was going to ask which one Laxus was when Levy nudged me, tapping her watch,

"We'd better get going if we're going to pick up groceries." I nodded in agreement and Levy turned back to Lisanna. "Is there any chance I could borrow a book from the library?"

"Sure," Lisanna said, "just get Mira to check it out for you at the bar."

* * *

Levy carried an armful of thick books back to my apartment before we went grocery shopping.

When we left the apartment, I could feel her repressing the urge to ask me something. She seemed on tenterhooks for the entire shopping trip, but it was only on our way back to the apartment that she spoke up.

"So...you get on with Lisanna better then I expected."

"Yeah." I said, trying to sound neutral about the whole thing. "I had a talk with her. She's changed her mark to match Natsu's because she loves him so much. I figured, if he was happy, it's my job as his soul mate to keep it that way. I said she should tell him the truth about her soul mark when the time felt right."

"But..." I looked at Levy to see her giving me a simpering look, "Lu you...your Dad would have to stop interferring with your life if Natsu—"

"—I am not getting married any time soon." I stated firmly. "Anyway, the staff told me my Mum was best friends with her soul mate - before and after she was married. It'll work out, I just have to find a way to make gloves look good with every outfit."

Levy grimaced knowingly and I looked away from her, keeping a smile plastered on my face.

I hadn't lied to Levy or Lisanna.

Unlike Natsu's girlfriend however, Levy knew as well as I did, that my Mum would've married her best friend, if only he hadn't been married when they met.

* * *

Luckily, what with all the unpacking and tidying I had to do that evening, I didn't have time to spare a thought for my soul mark.

Levy helped me put my groceries away but had to be back before curfew at the Academy.

She left well before dark, books piled high in her arms and still wearing a sympathetic look as I waved her off.

I went to bed earlier then usual, feeling a little lonely in the spacious apartment.

With my bed right by the window I pulled the curtain back, looking up at the stars and fiddling with Aquarius' key.

The habit used to make me feel closer to Mum, touching something I knew she'd treasured.

Now however, knowing about how Aquarius' felt about me (the brat) the comfort I used to get from it felt tarnished.

I let it go of the golden key, trying to make out the constellations above.

There were 88 of them up there, each with keys to go along with them. I wondered how many my Mum had, had used without me knowing.

I had lots of memories of magical things happening around the house, but I'd always thought they were part of my imagination being a kid. The many therapists my Father had gotten in to deal with my grief, told me that those memories were some kind of coping mechanism.

I sat up suddenly, my mind racing with a new idea.

What if everyone at home had magic?

What if my Father had just told them to stop doing it when Mum died?

I knew Spetto knew Aquarius' key was special to Mum, but what if she knew what it actually was?

I got out of bed and padded across the room to my desk.

Pulling out paper and pen, I grabbed and envelope and wrote out my home address below Spetto's name.

It seemed a simple idea, asking Spetto about Mum's magic. But as I set pen to paper, I realised I had to figure out a way to ask her about magic, without giving away the fact that magic was real.

* * *

I dressed the next morning, feeling very odd as I put on my new school uniform.

The uniform for Fairy Hills High School was a lot simpler than the one at Magnolia Academy. I used to have to wear ankle length puffy dresses from October till March, and a very lacy dress in the summer, but Fairy Hills had the same uniform all year around.

The shirt, tie, skirt, and blazer were very plain, and (unlike the Academy uniform) nothing was tailored uniquely to each student.

As I looked in the mirror I couldn't help but smile, thinking about what my Father might say if he saw me in such unladylike clothing.

I posted my letter to Spetto on the way to the school, following the map on my phone for directions through the town centre.

I walked into the outskirts of Magnolia, through a side of town I'd never visited, but I knew I was in the right place as the school gates came into view.

Tiny Mr Makarov, dressed in a suit instead of his orange and blue jester costume, was standing beside the school gates, nodding professionally as students walked through them.

I joined the throng of students strolling through the gates, smiling at Mr Makarov as I passed him, and vaguely aware that I was attracting a few stares.

At first, I let it polish my ego like usual, but then I realised it wasn't the kind of stares I usually got.

They were staring at me because I looked wierd, being the only one in the entire crowd who was wearing the school uniform correctly.

No one had their ties done up to the collar, most had jackets on instead of their blazers, and instead of shiny black shoes they wore brightly coloured boots or running shoes.

I loosened my tie a little at first, but pushed it tight again after a second. I felt uncomfortable not dressing properly in a uniform. Guess Dad would be proud his obsessive attention to formality had been drilled in properly.

* * *

I didn't see any of the Fairy Tail crew in my classes, and didn't spot any of them until lunchtime.

Feeling very unsure of what I was doing, I joined the queue for lunch, relief flooding through me as I recognised the scarlet hair in front of me. At least there was someone familiar in sight.

I didn't want to bother her with questions, but once we got to picking up trays I held up the line by not knowing I had to ask the lunch lady for what I wanted.

"Are you alright Lucy?" Erza asked.

I grinned at her, slightly embarrassed, and pointed at Erza's tray, saying,

"Could I please have what she has?"

The lunch lady gave a grunt and started ladling stuff onto my tray. I turned back to Erza,

"Sorry, I'm not really used to this. My old school did things a little differently."

I knew Levy would be eating the meals prepared by personal chefs right now, sat at a table while her food was brought over by wait staff.

Erza smiled at me, and glanced at the school bag on my shoulder. It was embossed with the coat of arms, motto, and name 'Magnolia Academy',

"From what I heard from Jet and Droy, about Levy's school experience, I'm impressed how well you've blended in here. Quite commendable."

The lunch lady thrust my tray back at me and I took it, following Erza up the queue with a sudden sinking feeling.

"Um, I don't want to be any trouble but I forgot..." I trailed off, staring at the till where people were paying for their lunch.

Erza patted me on the arm reassuringly,

"I'll get it. You can pay me back tomorrow."

"Thank you," I said, feeling more embarrassed by the minute.

I couldn't believe I hadn't thought about what I'd need to bring to a normal High School.

Erza payed for our food then led me through the lunch hall. I recognised the shock of pink hair on the table we were heading for.

The table had six seats. On one side there was a guy with a face full of piercings, picking at his food silently next to Natsu.

Natsu was wearing his white scarf, which seemed to substitute his tie, and looked a little out of place on top of his school blazer.

Across the table from Natsu sat Juvia, leaning against Gray happily, unaffected as Erza sat down next to him.

The only seat left was the one next to Natsu, and feeling a little apprehensive I walked around the table and sat down.

Juvia actually smiled at me as I took my seat. She looked much calmer, and used a gentler voice than the last time we'd met,

"Juvia is sorry for not introducing herself yesterday. Juvia had to mark her territory. So many girls go after Gray-sama, Juvia wanted to save you the pain of rejection."

"Oh, thanks," I said, not meaning it when I finished, "understandable."

Juvia suddenly sat up straight,

"So you're saying you find Gray-sama as handsome as Juvia does?"

"No!" I said hurridly, glancing at Gray, who's expression was as mono-tone as ever. "I mean I'm sure he's lovely but I'm not into—"

"Juvia knew it," she said, horrified, "you _are_ a love rival!"

I held up my hands,

"No, no, I promise I'm not."

Natsu bumped his shoulder into mine, clearly trying to be reassuring but sending goosebumps down my arm.

"Don't worry Luigi, she does this with everyone at first," he smiled at me, "it'll stop once she gets used to you being around."

I frowned at him, slightly angry that my soul mate didn't remember my name.

"My name's Lucy." I said and felt a little sour as Natsu raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Grey made a tsking sound,

"Don't worry Lucy, Natsu is really dumb, but you'll get used to it the longer you stick around."

Natsu got to his feet, as did Gray, but both froze as a fencing sword was thrust into the space between them.

Erza bluntly tapped both their chests with the blade,

"Sit down. We're having a civilised lunch at school. You can blow off steam at the guild."

They both sat, but from the looks of it began kicking each other under the table.

The guy with piercings, on the other side of Natsu finally spoke. His voice was gravelly, and only adding to the 'don't mess with me' vibe he had going on,

"Stopping them from using magic, with magic, is a little hypocritical. Don't cha think?"

Erza shrugged nonchalantly,

"I have fencing after lunch Gajeel, there's no reason this particular sword shouldn't be in the lunch hall."

"You use magic swords?" I asked.

Erza placed the fencing sword on her lap with a smile,

"I use a re-quipping ability which lets me summon any weapon, or change into any armour I have in my magical store. I keep most of my clothes and belongings on hand to summon, so I don't need to carry much around. It comes in useful when you have lots of equipment for things like fencing. Were you thinking of taking up any clubs Lucy?"

"She's not joining the swim team!" Juvia protested. "Or the boxing club with Gray-sama!"

Natsu snorted,

"I doubt she'd wanna fight with a stripper." Gray glared at him,

"Better then training to run away from a fight like you in track."

"We'll see who's running away when I'm running circles around you ice princess. Why don't we take this outside and I'll show you!"

"What, so you can run away from a lost battle flame-brain?"

Natsu almost got up again but Gajeel caught his arm this time, pulling him back to his seat.

Natsu stabbed at the food on his tray grumpily but I looked past him over at Erza.

"I'd kind of like to see the library," I said hopefully.

"Then it's settled," she said stoically, "I shall take you there on the way to my fencing club."

* * *

The library was very disappointing compared with the ancient stacks at the Academy, and most of the people inside was just sitting and chatting.

It didn't have the same vibe as gossiping with Levy while she decoded scripture for mythology club.

Seeing as I was there, I got my homework done so I didn't have to do it after my shift at the guild. Not wanting to stay there however, I left as soon as I finished it.

It was cold outside, even though I was wearing gloves, but my hands felt a little clammy after wearing them all day.

I spotted a bathroom block on the edge of the track field and walked over to it, trying to ignore the familiar head of pink hair racing around the track.

Inside, there were only three or four cubicles, and it was empty except for a girl with red hair longer than Erza's.

She was washing her hands at the sinks and I smiled breifly as I passed her, taking off my gloves and stuffing them in my pocket as I turned on a tap.

"Nice bag blondie," the girl said, her voice gravelly like Gajeel's.

I opened my mouth to say thanks, but instead let out a 'oof' of air as her fist sunk in my stomach.

I felt my bag being wrenched from my shoulder and tried to tug it back, managing to do it but falling back into a cubical door.

The door was unlocked, and swung open, and I only just managed to catch myself before I felt back into the toilet.

The girl lunged at me before I could get out of the cubical, pulling the bag away in one hand and grabbing my hair with the other, forcing me to the ground. I pulled back, my knees hitting the bathroom floor, my free hand scrambling at the hand fisted in my hair.

The girl suddenly let go of the bag, and I swung it more securely over my shoulder, almost managing to get up as the girl fisted both hands in my hair.

Before I knew what was happening my head had been plunged into thankfully clean toilet water.

The cold water made me gasp, and I inhaled a lot of water, coughing as I placed both hands on the toilet seat, trying to push myself up.

I started to feel dizzy, I barely noticed my bag being wrenched away, but the muffled sound of a doorbell flooded my ears as something in the water pushed my face up and out of the toilet.

The girl's grip on my hair vanished, and I fell back on the floor, coughing and spluttering, toilet water soaking my shirt and hair.

A familiar blue mermaid was hovering over the toilet, and reached for Aquarius' key in surprise.

Instead of being beneath my shirt, my necklace of two keys was lying on top of the sodden white material. It must've fallen into the toilet water.

The red headed girl had backed up against the sinks, and Aquarius floated forwards, bearing down on her, raising her large vase.

Instead of the clear torrent of water that had soaked me in the Fairy Tail's bathroom, a blast of green, murky water slammed into the girl, covering her uniform in violently green algae.

She screamed, dropping my bag and running from the bathroom, Aquarius glaring after her.

As the door slammed, the blue mermaid turned around, and I pushed myself back into the cubical wall.

She'd told me specifically never to summon me in a toilet, and though I hadn't conciously opened her gate, I didn't think she'd consider that a good enough excuse to get out of an algae shower.

But Aquarius had an oddly neutral expression on her face, not quite a caring one, more like exasperation.

"Drowning counts as an emergency brat," she said, tossing her vase and throwing a fresh wave of stone cold water over me.

I was now freezing cold, and felt goosebumps ripple over my skin, but was extremely thankful I was no longer covered in toilet water. Much wetter and colder, but cleaner, I stayed where I was on the floor, not quite sure why she wasn't yelling at me.

"Y-tou said not t-toilet water," I stammered, the cold and nerves making my voice tremble a little, "I d-didn't think I summoned you? How—"

Aquarius raised a hand and I fell silent, mostly due to intimidation but I could've been stunned into silence with what was happening.

The water was rising off my skin, lifting itself into the air and leaving everything from my hair to my socks warm and dry. It collected into droplets, looking like rain suspended in time.

Slowly they collected into tiny running streams, all flowing back to Aquarius' vase.

"I'd be a pretty bad guardian if I couldn't open my own gate for a few minutes," she said snotily, narrowing her eyes at me, "next time would you freaking call me when your life is in danger. I don't want your death on my conscience."

Before I could say anything, she was surrounded by smoke, and then she was gone.

The tap I'd turned on to wash my hands was the only sound in the bathroom, but I stayed on the floor, staring at the place where Aquarius had been.

There wasn't a drop of water out of place in the whole room. Nothing to show that she, or the algae covered girl, had been there.

My bag, somehow having missed the shower of green water, was lying innocently on the floor, as polished and clean as it had been this morning.

I got up slowly, walking over to the sink, and turning off the tap.

I put my gloves back on, and picked up my bag, catching sight of myself in the mirror and seeing the golden key hanging on top of my shirt.

I tucked it beneath my collar again, and walked out the bathroom.

Guardian...that's what she'd called herself.

"Luigi!"

I jumped at the sound of Natsu's voice so close, turning around to see him running over. He was still wearing that scarf, even though he was in his track kit.

He stopped in front of me with a small frown,

"You okay?" I felt a surge of annoyance crash over my surprise.

"My _name_ is Lucy." He slapped his forehead,

"Right, Lucy...What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong."

"Looks like something's wrong." I raised my eyebrows,

"And how would you know?"

Natsu shrugged,

"A feeling, I dunno?"

I felt my stomach flip over at that. Was that a soul mate thing? I didn't want to even think about it.

"Nothing's wrong." I said quickly, turning away. "I gotta get to class."

I strode away from him, feeling very uncomfortable and ever so slightly guilty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter, you know what's coming next. Le fact;
> 
> On an algae related note; the inside of flamingo's eggs are pink (as are they're yolks). This is due to algae according to a BBC fact podcast of 2017.
> 
> Hope to see you next chapter :)  
> M


	4. The Competition for Keys

I felt very stupid when Natsu walked into my next class.

It made walking away from him feel completely overdramatic.

On the bright side, Lisanna was also there, so he didn't notice me all that much.

I managed to slip away to my last class undetected, finding it free of Fairy Tail students.

Sitting down, I felt eyes on me, and looked around to find the red head from the bathroom, sat three seats over, with specks of algae still dotting her school uniform.

She spent the entire period staring at me, which would've made anyone feel uncomfortable, but it made me feel particularly nervous.

How did the magic council punished wizards who revealed their powers to ordinary people? Would they take it into consideration that Aquarius summoned herself while I was getting a swirly?

I was too anxious to focus on the lesson much, but when the bell rang, at least I'd mentally rehearsed explaining the whole thing to Mr Makarov.

Algae girl stayed in her seat while everyone got up to leave, and I felt her eyes on me as I left the classroom.

Not wanting to face Mr Makarov sooner then I had to, I made no effort to rush through the crowd of students. On the way back through town, I tried to distract myself by looking into all the shop windows.

About a street away from the Guildhall I stopped outside an expensive brick o brack shop.

One of the window displays was a velvet box, the lid open and a cushion inside to support a large metal ring. Strung on the ring were three oddly shaped keys, two silver, one gold.

My stomach turned over as I remembered the drawings from the book on the celestial realm.

Though I didn't recognise the silver keys, the fob of the golden one was engraved with a symbol a bit like a bull's head, its end shaped like the axe.

"Lucy!"

I looked around, my heart lurching as I saw Natsu waving at me, walking along side Erza.

I beckoned them over hurriedly.

When the reached me, I pointing through the window urgently.

"I think I found some gate keys."

They both peered through the window.

"Yeah," Natsu said flately, "and they're an absolute steal for just 70,000 jewel."

I ignored him.

"Erza, could you possibly put them behind the counter for me? I need to go back to my apartment for the money."

Natsu goggled at me, but Erza nodded,

"Of course. You should go with Natsu considering you're bringing back so much."

I grinned at her in thanks and grabbed Natsu's wrist, pulling him into a run.

Natsu let himself be pulled along, but I dropped his wrist after a few seconds. His skin felt very hot to the touch, and for some reason dragging him along by the wrist felt as intimate as running hand in hand.

It wasn't far, but by the time we reached strawberry street I was a breathless from sprinting so fast.

Skidding to a holt outside my door, I bent down and pulled my necklace of keys out from underneath my school shirt. Natsu waited while I unlocked the door, and lagged behind as I wrenched it open and I raced up the stairs.

I knew Dad had sold off Mum's stuff, but I never expected to find any of it.

I flew across the sitting room, shouldering open my bedroom door, and running over to my chest of draws. I yanked open the one full of underwear, pulled out my money box, and quickly shoved the draw shut as I heard Natsu's footsteps.

I carried the box over to my desk and wrenched open a draw in search of an envelope.

I'd opened the box and was beginning to count out money when Natsu came into my room.

"How have you got enough money to buy those keys?" He asked, watching me deal notes into a pile.

Stuffing the Jewel in the envelope I grinned at him,

"I had my next months rent stored away just in case I couldn't find a job." I stuffed the envelope into my school bag. "I'd save the money but I haven't got anything of my Mum's except Aquarius' key. Makarov said they were important so I need— well I don't need to but I want— I mean I know it's kinda stupid but—"

"No, I get it." Natsu said, tugging at the scarf around his neck. "This is the only thing my Dad left me. If I saw it in a shop window, I'd fork out whatever I had for it."

I nodded, looking at his scarf more closely, wondering if it was magical.

Lisanna said Natsu's Dad was the fire dragon. Would it be fire proof?

Natsu waved a hand in front of my face. I realised I was staring at him.

"We'd better go," I said quickly, rushing past him and crossing the living room at a run.

Down the stairs and out into the street, I waited for Natsu to clear the door before locking it behind him.

Without checking to see if he was following I took off at a run, hearing Natsu on my tail as we headed back to the shop.

I burst through the shop door a little more forcefully then I'd intended, making the old man behind the counter jump.

A white haired girl at the counter looked around at me in surprise, Erza uncrossing her arms triumphantly and tapping the counter where the keys lay.

"Ah," said the shop keeper, "this is your friend I suppose?"

Erza nodded as I walked forward. The white haired girl looked a little frantic,

"Please, it's almost enough, I'm just a few jewel short!" Erza gestured at me as I pulled the envelope out of my bag,

"Sorry, but my friend has the full amount."

I walked forwards gladly, pulling the bills out the envelope and laying them on the counter.

When I looked up to smile apolgetically at the girl, I saw she was in tears.

I quickly trapped the money to the counter with my hand, not letting the shop keeper take any of the bills before I'd asked,

"Why d'you want these keys?"

The girl wiped away the tears running down her cheeks and sniffed,

"I've got to get all the keys or—" she shut her mouth suddenly, as if realising what she'd just said, and before anyone could say anything else she ran from the shop.

"All the keys?" I repeated slowly, looking at the other two.

Erza watched her run for a second then strode towards the door.

"I'll catch up with you two at the guild," she said, leaving the shop, and running off after the girl.

"You did still want these, didn't you miss?"

I turned back to the old man.

He looked about as confused as I felt, glancing at the hand I'd laid over my money.

I smiled and lifted my hand off the Jewel.

"Yes, sorry, I do."

The shop keeper took the Jewel, counted it up, then walked over to the till, putting the notes inside and retrieving a small booklet,

"This is the appraisal confirming the keys are solid gold and silver." He placed the booklet next to the keys on the counter. "I'm sure they'll look lovely in your home."

I thanked him, picked up the ring of keys and the booklet, and placed both of them in my bag.

We left the shop, Natsu staring along the street in the direction Erza had run. I looked too. The street was empty.

"D'ya think that girl knew what the keys were?" I asked.

Natsu shrugged and began walking, letting me fall into step beside him.

"No idea. I've never heard of a spirit summoning wizard before you came to the Fairy Tail. It's probably something to do with a dark guild."

Wanting a little more clarification I asked,

"What exactly is a dark guild?"

"They're magical gangs." Natsu answered. "Guilds that don't register with the magic council because they don't follow its rules. They take jobs for stuff like theft and murder, stuff Fairy Tail would never stand for. The council's ordered the Guilds in each city to organise patrols, cause recently they've been attacking people on the street."

I frowned, considering the girl who'd just run out of the shop.

She didn't look like a murderer, heck she didn't look like she'd steal candy from a baby.

But a memory from weeks ago pushed this thought from my mind for a second.

"Do dark guilds ever do jobs for non-magic people?" I asked.

"Sure. If they only took requests from magical people, they wouldn't have much buisness."

I fell silent.

Did my Father know he'd asked a magical guild to try and kidnap me a few weeks ago, or did he think he'd just payed off a group of thugs?

"THAT'S WHY YOU SMELL FAMILIAR!" Natsu burst out, stopping in his tracks.

I stopped too, staring at him,

"I _smell_ familiar?"

He grinned at me,

"Yeah! Dragon slayers have crazy good senses if they use their magic in the right way. A few weeks ago a group of dark wizards attacked someone on the street, they shoved a bag over their head! That was you!"

"You're what distracted them," I said slowly, "and all that light. That was your fire magic?"

Natsu grinned proudly,

"Yup! I sent em running pretty quick, but by the time I turned around you'd gone."

"Well did you expect me to hang around after almost being abducted? I ran as fast as I could soon as they let go of me!"

Natsu shrugged,

"Okay, well, sorry you ended up being their random assault for the night."

I grimaced and started walking again,

"I wasn't."

Natsu frowned,

"What d'you mean?"

I sighed,

"The attack wasn't random, at least I don't think it was. I reckon my Dad would've commissioned them to drag me back home. He wants me to marry someone as part of a buisness deal."

"He what?!"

I shrugged off his horrified expression,

"It's been in the works for a while now. He's trying to get it sorted before soul mate laws come into play."

"But—"

"—I don't really want to talk about it." Especially not with my soul mate.

I sped up a little as we rounded the corner of the street, thankful to see Erza standing in front of the doors to the Guildhall.

I jogged up to her, Natsu a few steps behind me, but when we both reached her she shook her head,

"She disappeared. It's lucky you got those keys Lucy, it's better we know where they are. Which spirits are they?"

I pulled the keys out my bag,

"The golden one is taurus, but I'm not sure about the other two - they'll probably be in the book I was reading yesterday. I found drawings of them all in there."

Erza nodded, opening the door of the Guildhall,

"Go look them up. I'll let Mira know you'll be late for your shift."

I nodded and walked inside, flinching a little as Natsu suddenly sprinted past me.

Watching him go, I realised the little control he'd had at lunch was clearly gone, and Gray was in for the fight they'd argued about over lunch.

Gray got up from his seat next to Juvia, tearing his shirt off as Natsu lunged at him.

I realised Juvia was glaring at me for watching Gray, who was now taking off his shoes to throw at Natsu.

Wondering dimly why Juvia thought I was a more likely 'love rival' than Natsu (considering how much her boyfriend stripped for him) I looked away, heading over towards the staircase that led down to the library.

When I'd descended the steps, walking over to the shelf on summoning magic, I found the book on the celestial realm pretty quickly, and pulled it down.

I brought the book over to one of the tables and opened it, the sound of me flicking through pages seeming very loud in the empty room.

I laid the ring of gate keys next to the book once I'd found the pages of drawings, comparing them to the artists' renditions in the book.

The golden key was definitely Taurus.

I flicked through the pages of silver keys.

The one with the blue crystal on its fob was called Nikora, the key for the constellation of canis minor. The other was Pyxis, the compass constellation key.

There was no description of what they did.

Looking around breifly to check I was alone I considered summoning them. I'd have to make a contract to find out when they were avaliable, and surely it'd be better to do it here then in my apartment?

Picking up the gold key first I racked my brains to remember what I'd said to summon Aquarius yesterday.

The only condition I could think of for his summoing is that he might have to be summoned in grass, but I gave it a shot on the wooden floor anyway.

Pointing at the empty space between me and the shelves a few feet away, I made sure to say loudly and clearly,

"Open gate of the golden bull!"

The sound of a doorbell clanged deafeningly in the quite stacks, and as the smoke cleared from the massive spirit in front of me, I realised I had one hell of a 'bull in a china shop' situation on my hands.

Taurus was a bull for the most part, but his eyes were far more human than animal, and he had human arms that'd been wrapped in boxing bandages. He wore a cow bell around his neck, and thankfully also pants, as he was stood upright on his hind legs, and I did _not_ want that kind of view.

He must've been at least seven feet tall, his horns almost reaching the ceiling, and a leather strap across his front pinning a massive axe to his back.

Taurus crouched down to look at me closer, his axe crashing into the shelves behind and causing a small domino chain of bookcases to tip over.

He grinned at me gleefully, wide eyed like he couldn't believe his luck,

"It's really you Lady Looooocy!? Come give ol' Taurus a big smooooooch!"

He spread his arms wide but I quickly side stepped him as he lent forwards. Fourhundred plus pounds of muscle falling on me, cow kiss or not, was not something I could handle.

Without me there to catch him (or more accurately cushion his fall) Taurus fell fowards, crashing into the table where I'd been reading through the book on the celestial realm.

He shook his head as if to get water out of his ears, clumsily getting up, and snapping the nearest chair legs like they were toothpicks as he used them to push himself upright. He turned around, hooves clomping heavily on the wooden floor, and he grinned as he caught sight of me, clearly ready to try again.

"Woah, Taurus!" I said, holding out my hands before he could leap at me again. "Hold off on the hugs, I don't think the library can handle it."

Taurus drew back, clearly dissapointed, but flopped down on his rear, his weight sending tremors through the floor boards so a few books fell off their shelves.

He stared me up and down, apparently trying to make a suggestive joke as he raised one eyebrow, saying,

"I'm happy to do whatever gets you in the moooood." I wrinkled my nose,

"Er, right. Well I called to see if I could make a contract with you?" He grinned slyly,

"I'm already contracted to that boooootiful body Miss Lucy, no neuuuuuw contract needed."

Taurus fell sideways theatrically, making the floor shake and a few more books fall as he leaned on his elbow; stretching out as if on a sofa, waiting for someone to come home.

I stared at him for a second, wondering exactly a dark guild intended to use such a cringily pervy spirit.

"What days can I summon you on?" I asked, feeling more and more awkward as he looked me up and down again.

"Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday toooooo." I smiled thankfully,

"Okay, great. I guess I'll see you around then." He winked,

"See you sooooon."

Without really thinking about it I swiped the key through the air, and with a puff of smoke he vanished.

I looked down at the golden key, wondering if I'd closed his gate or if Taurus had puffed himself out.

I didn't really know how to properly banish a spirit back to the celestial realm, but the attitudes of the ones I'd met so far made me sure it was something I needed to learn.

I looked at the other two silver keys on the ring, feeling a little apprehensive about summoing them.

Surely my Mum couldn't have had any spirits worse than a muscly, cow shaped perv, and a bitchy half fish with anger issues?

I walked over to the book lying in the wreckages of the table and pulled it out, taking it over to another table and flicking through to the pages of drawings again.

I checked the descriptions for the silver keys I had.

The little dog couldn't be too bad right? Knowing my luck it'd be rabid dog, but I suppose the library couldn't get that much messier if it went on a rampage.

Steeling myself for the worst, I pointed Nikora's key at the space where the table had been, saying clearly,

"Open, gate of the little dog!"

There was a much quieter doorbell sound, and a tiny puff of smoke appeared around an even smaller spirit.

He was about the size of the dog, but as the smoke cleared I realised he didn't look even remotely dog-like.

Nikora was wobbling on his tiny feet, very cute, but shivering despite looking like a snowman.

"Nikora's a bit too harsh for a cutie like you," I said, crouching down to his level, "I reckon something like Plue fits you better..."

The little snow man looked at me with watery eyes, sort of like a dog who was begging for food. I wondered if that meant he wanted to keep his name.

Plue however let out a kind of purring sound whenever I used his nickname, so I assumed he liked it, but it turned out the yipping sounds were the only language he spoke. So trying to get his summoning information out of him was pretty damn hard.

Still, though I invited him to sit beside me, he sat happily in my lap once I'd pulled a notebook out of my bag.

Despite looking like he was made of snow, he was actually very soft, and though it was hard to imagine using him in any kind of fight, I wrote out the day of the week anyway, thinking he could point to when he was avaliable.

Plue took my pen from me with his little paw like hands, drawing ticks underneath each day, and then drawing out a picture of what looked like the sun. He drew an arc through it, and a house below it, making it look like the sun was directly overhead.

He tapped it pointedly, shaking his head, and making his little purring sounds.

I didn't quite know what he meant, but I hazarded a guess since he looked like he was made of snow.

"You can't be summoned around midday?"

Plue nodded, purring again, and I grinned, feeling something warm in my chest. I put it down to him being so heartwarmingly cute.

Holding him on my lap like a toddler, I held up the last new key, pointing it in the space in front of me and saying,

"Open gate of the compass!"

I felt a wave of tiredness hit me as the spirit Pyxis appeared in a puff of smoke. My vision wobbled a little as his spirit smoke began to clear. Was this to do with his power? Did he make your sense of direction and balance go off course?

Shaking my head to clear it, I tried to focus on Pyxis. I don't quite know what I expected, but it definitely wasn't what was standing in front of me.

Pyxis was a fat red penguin with massive compass stuck on top of his head.

Plue patted my arm as I swayed slightly in my seat, trying to focus as I asked Pyxis what days he was avaliable to be summoned on.

The penguin squawked and danced on the spot for a second before waddling over to the notepad I'd used with Plue.

I turned around as Pyxis used a flipper to cover up Thursday on the days of the week, but my vision started spinning before I could check what that meant.

I blinked, but nothing came into focus.

I just about realised I was falling to the floor, my arms wrapped around Plue protectively, and leaving me no option to cushion myself as fellsideways, darkness surrounding me before I'd even hit the floor.

* * *

Comfortable and warm, I realised I was lying on something soft. It felt like a sofa. There was a cushion beneath my head.

"She's coming round."

I heard movement around me and frowned.

Feeling groggy, I opened my eyes.

A little girl, at least a few years younger than me, came into view. Her long, navy blue hair was tied back in ponytails, and her hands were hovering over my chest, glowing with green magic. I had a feeling she was the reason I was so comfortable.

I looked around.

I was lying on a sofa in the room full of couches Lisanna had shown Levy and I yesterday.

Erza was stood behind the girl with blue ponytails, and Natsu and Lisanna were at the end of the sofa.

"What happened?" I asked, wanting to sit up, but not feeling like I had the strength.

It was like all my limbs had fallen asleep.

The girl with navy blue hair grimaced,

"You passed out from using up too much magical energy."

Erza placed a hand on her shoulder,

"Wendy here has helped heal you with her support magic, but it'll take a couple of days for your magical core to recover."

I frowned up at Erza,

"I used up all my magic? Is there a gauge or something?"

I looked down my body, as if I would see a magic metre refilling slowly.

Natsu seemed to find this idea funny because he snorted, recieving an elbow in the ribs from smiled down at me,

"Everyone has a limited source of magical energy within them, but it's not something you can measure without special equipment. Most wizards learn to just sense it and stop before they push themselves over the limit. Your magical core can be improved with training, but it is usually very weak when a wizard starts out with magic. What happened before you passed out?"

I blinked, trying to remember.

"...I summoned Taurus to make a contract...then Plue...then Pyxis—"

"—all at the same time?" Natsu interrupted, frowning at me.

"No, I summoned Pyxis with Plue still with me, but I sent Taurus back cause he— oh god the library!" Erza held up a hand,

"Don't trouble yourself. Elfman is putting everything back in order now. What's important is you getting better."

I nodded guiltily, but it began to hurt my head so I stopped.

I forced myself to sit up, Wendy looking worried.

"You should spend the rest of the day resting," she advised, but I grimaced at her,

"I will, but I should be at work right now."

"Don't be silly," Lisanna said quickly, "I'll help Mira if she needs it."

I bit my lip, not wanting to bunk off on my first day, but Natsu spoke up before I could protest.

"How much magic have you done before today?"

"Er...I summoned Aquarius in the bathroom. I think that's it."

Wendy gaped at me,

"You've only summoned one spirit before and you managed three today!? You must have a core the size of a dragon slayer! Their magical cores are massive!"

Natsu coughed, but I didn't miss his mutter of,

"That's what she said..."

Lisanna elbowed him in the ribs again and he feigned a huge amount of pain.

I turned away from the couple, smiling at Wendy.

It was a nice thought, having a lot of magical power, but dragon slayers came from dragons, and I knew without a shadow of a doubt my Father wasn't a dragon. I doubt he'd have much of a problem dragging me home if he could transform into a massive, flying lizard.

Erza checked her watch skeptically,

"Natsu, weren't you meant to be out on patrol ten minutes ago?"

Natsu's eyes went a little wide and, before Erza could shoot him a disapproving look, he ran from the room, yelling,

"See ya later!"

Lisanna smiled after him, watching until he'd dissapeared through the door into the stair well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter, you know what that means...
> 
> Escape comes from the culture of wearing a cape; when someone grabbed your cape you slipped out of it and made an 'escape'.  
> The more ya know!
> 
> Hope to see you next chapter :3  
> M


	5. Virgo's Vow

Wendy told me I shouldn't summon any spirits for at least a few days, but I didn't really feel like this restricted me much.

As adorable as Plue was, I had Lisanna or Mira for company most evenings, and I wasn't going to be summoning any of my spirits to help me work. The thought of asking Aquarius to help me mop the floors was almost laughable.

But with the constant brawling, drinking, singing and shouting, the Guildhall's atmosphere started to make anywhere else I was seem boring. It was a nice feeling, a new feeling, being surrounded by so many friendly faces who weren't payed to smile at me.

Not the house staff only stayed for their wages. I liked to think we were family, caring more about me than the one person who shared my surname. Still, there was a different kind of affection shared between guildmates, compared with the affection I felt for Spetto when we shared a pot of tea.

When Friday evening rolled around, I was changing in the store room, getting out of my school uniform and into a red uniform-dress.

There was a knock at the store room door.

"I'm almost ready," I called, hurriedly wrapping a belt around my waist.

Lisanna had given me a small leather pouch to string on a belt, perfect for storing my gate keys, and I'd taken to wearing it round the Guildhall despite not using my spirits. I also tended to wear it to school, feeling a little safer with my keys at my hip, ready to be used in case anything like the incident in the girls toilets happened again.

As I'd been resting from using too much magic, I hadn't had time to talk to Mr Makarov about what'd happened at school.

I felt nervous about it throughout the next day at school, and in the evening, I resolved to tell Lisanna what'd happened.

Not only did she tell me not to worry about it, she stood by my side when I approached Mr Makarov at the bar.

Mr Makarov told me he'd look into it, and like Lisanna, assured me there was no need to worry. The council had people to handle incidents like mine, and I needn't think about it any longer.

I don't know whether it was Lisanna or Mr Makarov who passed on the story of what happened, but Erza had found out somehow, because she seemed to have organised a kind of gaurd duty for me at school.

Someone from Fairy Tail just happened to meet me outside every class, walking with me to my next one with the excuse that it was on the way to their next lesson.

I only put two and two together when Gray and Natsu met me outside History class, saying they both happened to be passing. Though they argued, they didn't get into a single name-calling match, or any kind of fight, despite walking me across to the other side of school. I was forced to consider Erza had scared them into behaving.

There was a second knock at the door as I finished buckling my belt, and I heard Mira's voice call,

"I've got something that might interest you!"

I walked over to the door and opened it, standing back as I saw Mira had a large cardboard box in her arms.

She walked in and set the cardboard box down on the bench, beckoning me over.

The box was full of gloves, all in different colours and patterns, some brand new, some clearly old fancy dress accessories.

Mira grimaced,

"Lisanna had a little break down last night. She told me what you were doing for her, and for Natsu, and I wanted to help. It's very kind thing for you to do, but I don't want you to have to go out and buy a load of different gloves, so I found these in Fairy Tail's loft."

I looked down at the box.

Mira was very thoughtful, and it was really nice of her to find all these for me, but looking down at the box full of gloves felt like a bit of a punch to the gut.

I knew soul-mate marriage laws were the only thing that could actually stave my Father off, but a tiny part of me still hoped there was a chance...I don't know...I guess I'd always banked on a back up plan of having a soul mate who'd want to save me.

Having found him, but having to hide from him was bad enough. Seeing a whole box of tools to do the job hurt a little. It was a box that doomed me to the life an heiress.

"Lucy?"

I looked around, forcing a smile on my face,

"Sorry! Drifted off for a second." I acted as if I was rummaging for a pair of gloves that I liked. "Thanks for this."

Mira Jane considered me for a moment, then placed a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm here if you ever need to talk," she said gently, "I know this can't be easy."

I smiled at her, nodding, and picked out a random pair, swapping them for my usual gloves to feign intrest in the whole thing.

We left the store room together, and as we descended the steps Mira said,

"There was another thing I wanted to ask you. Lisanna is off on a mission with me and Elfman this weekend, leaving Natsu's team one person short. She asked me if you wanted her spot this time around cause I think there's a pretty big reward that'd help with your rent. I'll understand if you don't feel comfortable taking the job, but I thought I'd ask..."

I frowned, not sure I was a good enough at using magic to be much use on a magical job.

"What would I have to do?" I asked, the both of us reaching the ground floor and walking over to the bar.

"It's a protection job really." Mira explained. "you'll be undercover doing service work at a magical museum. They're having a big show and the curator is requesting a security team, just in case any dark guilds turn up for the artefacts. He doesn't expect they will but it's better to be safe than sorry."

Thinking the money would be a nice cushion, and that waitressing couldn't be that hard, I grinned at her.

"Sure, I'd love to go if its okay?"

Mira-Jane picked up a cloth and beamed as she wiped down the bar,

"That's great! I'll let Natsu know."

There was a bang of a fist on the bar that made me jump, but turning around I saw that it was only a very passionate looking Elfman.

He was grinned at me, and holding up a thumb proudly,

"Takes a real man to support their friends like that!"

Jet and Droy, sitting either side of him, groaned and asked for two shots.

Elfman eyed them with a frown,

"You're not still playing that stupid drinking game are you? Real men give up while they're ahead!"

They both glared at him and ordered another two shots, Jet moaning,

"Will you stop saying that? I'm not loosing a 50 Jewel bet we've had for almost a year, just cause you can't stop reminding us what it takes to be a real man!"

Droy sniggered,

"Just cause you're a light weight." Elfman shrugged,

"I dunno, he sounds pretty manly to me."

He grinned as both boys groaned, adding another shot each to their tabs.

* * *

I had no idea that dragon slayers got motion sickness, but trying to ask Natsu more about it proved useless. He spent the entire train journey to Shirotsume lying on the floor, completely incapacitated.

Gray tried to kick a few answers out of him when he only groaned at me, but stopped at a look from Erza.

Natsu rolled over, a hand pressed against his mouth.

Clearly to afraid of being squashed if Natsu lay on his back, from out of his rucksack jumped a cat.

A blue cat. A blue cat, whose colour didn't seem to faze Erza or Gray at all.

The cat jumped up onto Natsu's vacant seat and looked down at him sadly.

I looked at Gray, sat opposite me and next to the cat.

"That's Happy," Gray supplied, "he's Natsu's partner."

I raised my eyebrows,

"He called his cat Happy?" Grey smirked,

"You're more bothered by his name then his fur colour?"

"I— okay fine, why's he blue?"

"He hatched that way."

"Hatched? Like, from an egg?" Gray nodded, sounding bored,

"Most of the dragons went on this mission years ago, brought back some cool looking rocks as souveneers for their kids. The rocks hatched and the exceeds came out. I'm surprised you haven't seen Carla or Pantherlilly around Fairy tail?"

I frowned, very sure of the fact I hadn't seen any technicolour cats around the Guildhall, but Gray screwed up his face thoughtfully.

"Actually, you might've mistaken them for just normal cats. Pantherlilly's black and Carla's white. It's only Happy that's got a wierd fur colour."

I looked down at Happy, sat on his butt with his legs splayed out.

"He's kind of adorable with that little rucksack." I said, reaching out to stroke his head.

I snatched by hand back as Happy glared at me, opening his mouth, and seemingly snapping in a high pitched voice,

"HEY! I'm not cute! I'm a Fairy Tail mage!"

As if to proove it, a pair of white wings appeared out of thin air, pocking out from beneath the straps of his rucksack and making Erza turn away from the window.

"Happy put them away," she said, "there are normal people on this train."

Happy crossed his arms grumpily and the wings vanished.

I glanced at Erza,

"Doesn't he attract a lot of attention anyway? Being blue?" Erza grimaced.

"She's got a point Happy, you should probably get back inside Natsu's rucksack."

The 'exceed' glared at me then jumped down on Natsu's stomach, making his face turn slightly green.

"Naaaatsuuu," Happy whined, "they're being mean to me!"

But Natsu appeared to have lost all powers of speech - not that he'd have tried to argue with Erza anyway.

When Gray kicked at Natsu for him to roll over again, Happy had no choice but to slink back into the rucksack.

I stared at the backpack, still able to hear the cat grumbling to himself.

"Just when I thought things couldn't get any weirder," I muttered to myself.

Gray grinned at me,

"You've never seen a dragon slayer eat, have you?"

I shook my head.

Gray didn't answer but chuckled to himself, leaving me to wonder just how bad my soul mate's table manners were.

* * *

It fell to me to help Natsu off the train.

Gray thought it'd be funny to let him enjoy a ride back to Magnolia (as he couldn't stand, let alone get off the train by himself) and Erza was too busy to notice, leading the way with a mountain of luggage that seemed a little over exceessive considering we were only staying in the town overnight.

Why she was carrying so much if she kept most of her things in her requipping space I had no idea, but she was an S-class mage so I assumed there was a good reason.

After five minutes of dragging Natsu along behind the other two, he seemed to be feeling well enough to walk by himself - though he kept one hand on his stomach as if to remind himself not to throw up.

Erza led us to a hotel, checked us in. The attendant offered to take our bags, which only Natsu refused because he had Happy in his backpack.

The rest of us accepted, though the attendance stared with some alarm as Erza pointed to her stack of suitcases.

Erza, either ignoring or not noticing the attendant's dismay, walked out of the hotel and onto the street.

I had no idea where she was leading us as we walked through the town, heading into the very outskirts and then up a country foot path.

After ten minutes of walking, we came out onto road again, and I immidiately knew we were in the right place.

Happy jumped out of Natsu's backpack and took to the air with his white wings, no longer having to hide as we walked towards the huge, black metal gates.

They were framed in gold paint, and the spheres on top of the pillars either side shone like crystals, spinning of their own accord on their plinths. They were glowing slightly, a magical line of gold light strung between them, twisted into the words,

_'Archeological Society's 178th Annual Fundraiser Ball'_

A voice from a speaker in one of the pillars asked,

"Identification?"

Erza pulled a piece of paper out her pocket, unfolded it, and held it out to the speaker, where I assumed a small camera was installed.

"We are four mages from Fairy Tail," she said importantly, "here at the request of Mr Neville."

The gates opened dramatically and we walked inside.

We walked up the path towards the mansion, finding two security gaurds on either side of the large front doors, both of which were twirling a long rod in their hands.

"Step forwards to be scanned," one of them instructed.

Erza stepped forwards instantly.

She held her arms up to shoulder height, letting the men wave the rod from her feet, to her head, and then give her a nod to proceed.

As Gray stepped fowards, I stepped a little closer to Natsu, whispering,

"Why do we need to be scanned?"

He shrugged,

"Probably to check we're not holding any dark artefacts. They don't want anything demonic at a party."

I'd have asked what 'demonic' things were later, because Gray had finished being scanned and Natsu had stepped forwards.

Despite being a little nervous, I was scanned after Natsu, and once Happy was cleared, we all walked through the massive double doors after Erza and Gray.

It wasn't very well lit in the room beyond, the daylight outside throwing most of the room into shadow, but when I'd passed through the doors I found Erza and Gray waiting for us in the middle of a great marble ballroom.

The walls and floors were gleaming, polished white marble, and there was red carpet spread over the grand stair case leading to upper levels and the balcony.

It reminded me of the atrium at home, only instead of old family portraits set hanging on the walls, the room had great glass exhibition cases set between the pillars, each seeming to have something floating inside.

Apart from hovering a few inches off the ground, you could tell at a glance most of them were magical because they were shining brightly, giving off a glow that was reflected on the polished floors, and provided most of the light while the candles in the large candelier were unlit.

Erza asked Happy to do a perimetre sweep while we went to meet our employer, and though he seemed reluctant to leave Natsu, he took off grudgingly.

She then led us up the stairs and to the right, along the balcony over looking the dance floor, and right to the end, where a corridor branched off to the left, into the heart of the mansion.

The curtains were drawn over most of the windows, but a few floating candles lit the hallway, though Erza, Natsu, and Gray didn't look very amazed to see them hovering overhead.

Being familiar with these kind of buildings, the grandeur of the mansion should mean I was the most at ease, but I definitely wasn't as comfortable as everyone else.

The others barely spared a glance at the obvious presence of magic, and it made me feel a little out of my depth.

I fiddled with Aquarius' key around my neck, nervously.

At the end of the corridor, Erza led us through a door to the left, and I heard a man's voice say,

"Ah...Fairy Tail I presume?"

Dawdling a bit behind the others, I heard Erza say,

"Yes Sir."

I turned into the room, crossing the threshold, and barely glancing at the man who'd greeted us at the sound of a doorbell, a puff of spirit smoke appearing in the middle of the room.

I clutched Aquarius' key, my other hand checking the ring of keys in my pouch, very aware I hadn't summoned anyone.

The smoke cleared, and everyone looked a little wary, staring at the pink haired maid who'd appeared in the middle of the room.

Her hands were clasped together respectfully, and for some ungodly reason she wore shackles, a small length of chain hanging off each metal cuff. She looked up at me gravely, her eyes so shockingly blue they were a little creepy.

"Mistress Heartfelia, forgive me." She bowed. "There is no excuse for loosing my key underground. Please do not hesitate to punish me for my tardiness."

I stared at her, alarmed. The man who'd welcomed us was staring at the spirit, murmuring,

"Self summoning...fascinating..."

The pink haired spirit stood up straight again, apparently waiting for me to do something.

"Er," I said awkwardly, "don't worry about it. I'm glad your gate key was found by nice people."

Mr Neville took a step forwards, a notepad in his hands, clearly ready to take notes.

"Can Celestial Spirits lead people to their keys?" He asked her.

The pink haired maid looked at me, as if asking for permission to speak. I didn't say anything, but I must've looked curious, because she gave me a little nod and answered,

"Zodiac spirits can self summon within a small area of their key's location. I wasn't able to stay in the physical world long enough to dig myself out, but your archeological team dug into the small path I'd made towards the surface."

The pink haired spirit gave him a little bow, as by way of thanks.

"Why were you underground?" I asked, wondering why on earth anyone would bury a gate key after buying it from my Father.

"My apologies mistress, but when our contract holder dies yet we are still in the physical world, our presence is replaced with our key. I was underground at the time of Mistress Heartfelia's passing, getting rid of foot soldiers in the city square."

I stared at the spirit.

So Mum did die in the middle of a war. Who was she fighting? Who was the one who struck the final blow?

I pushed the images of my Mum to the back of my mind, blinking firmly as my eyes began to water.

"I am sorry to have upset you Mistress," the spirit said, "I'd request punishment, but that would require you to summon me yourself. I'm afraid I haven't the power to keep myself here."

And with another puff of smoke the spirit vanished.

As the smoke cleared, I saw a pedestal behind where the spirit had been standing. A golden key was displayed on a velvet pillow, protected by a glass display cabinet, like the ones downstairs.

The man with the notepad, an archeologist according to that spirit, fiddled with his pen excitedly.

"So that's what Virgo manifests herself as," he said to himself.

He looked over at me suddenly, his eyes falling to the golden key lying on top of my shirt.

"And that's," he said, seemingly even more excited, "that's Aquarius's gate key...I don't suppose—" he stopped himself, "my apologies Miss Heartfelia—"

"Please," I said quickly, "call me Lucy."

Being reffered to by my last name, especially in a house like this, made me feel like I was at one of my Father's fundraiser balls.

"MR NEVILLE" Shouted a voice just outside. "WHAT'S ALL THIS MAGICAL DISTURBANCE MY ARTEFACTS ARE REGISTERING?"

A small hand pushed me aside, and I stumbled a little, Natsu catching me before I could fall over.

"SHE APPEARED?!" The fat man asked theatrically, apparently close to having a tantrum.

The archeologist, Mr Neville, nodded somewhat stiffly.

"Indeed. All because of the presence of Miss— Lucy here."

The fat man whirled around, his piggy eyes focusing on me, as I stood up straight again, smiling thankfully at Natsu.

I watched the man's eyes slide down to the Aquarius' key, still hanging around my neck on show. I quickly hid it beneath my shirt.

"Fairy Tail," Mr Neville said, his smile a little grim, "I'd like to introduce you to Mr Everlue. He's graciously agreed to fund this little gathering, enabling us to bring together many powerful artefacts. We're hoping to encourage others to help fund our research."

Mr Everlue detached his eyes from my shirt, where the key was now hidden, and rounded on Mr Neville, puffing up like an angry budgerigar,

"I thought I made it clear that I wanted no excessive security! It will put off sponsors I tell you!"

Mr Neville frowned down at the fat little man.

"I only requested a small team from one of the magical guilds. It's in the interest of the artefacts."

Mr Everlue laughed derisively,

"You'll be lucky if any of your specimens end up in one piece after an event with Fairy Tail."

Natsu took half a step forwards but Erza trod on his foot to keep him from mouthing off.

Mr Everlue squinted back over at me,

"How many keys have you collected so far, girl?" Gray scowled at this,

"What's it to you?"

Mr Everlue puffed himself up proudly,

"I, myself, am a celestial wizard. A side hobby of course. I've mastered Earth magic you see. Virgo marks a rather adequate start to my collection."

"You've made a contract with her?" I asked, somewhat surprised by Virgo's appearance if she was already contracted to someone.

Mr Everlue glared at me,

"Well, that's why I hired Mr Neville. She's been refusing my summons!"

Mr Neville didn't say a word as I looked up at him.

Mr Everlue coughed rather importantly,

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I must freshen up before the party in a few hours."

He turned on the spot and marched out, slamming the door behind him as Mr Neville sighed.

"You'll have to excuse him," Mr Neville said tiredly, "he makes a remarkable difference to our efforts in uncovering artefacts, but he's a little..."

"Up himself?" Gray supplied.

Mr Neville grimaced and put away his notepad.

"So," Erza said, with an air of professionalism, "how can we be of assistance?"

Mr Neville nodded,

"Right, yes. Your job. You'll be keeping an eye on the artifacts while serving drinks and food around the ballroom. Anyone acting suspicious, and you are to tail them. If they show intent to steal any artefacts, then you are to protect the collection at all costs. There are of course only esteemed guests invited, but you never can be too sure."

* * *

Mr Neville led us back to the ballroom, dissapearing breifly to fetch four sets of uniforms, then directing us to get changed in the staff area beneath the ballroom.

Erza easily re-quipped into her uniform, and sat down to wait while I got dressed, getting out a book she must've kept in her weapon arsenal.

I took off my shoes and socks but, despite my hands feeling clammy, didn't take my gloves off.

There was a sink in the corner of the room, and I chanced a glance at Erza, wondering if it was worth washing my hands.

She was thoroughly engrossed in her book, so I chanced taking my gloves off, stripping off my shirt to use as a towel and walking over to the sink.

I turned on the tap, and quickly scrubbed at my hands, my stomach turning over as Erza said,

"Mira told me why you've been wearing gloves."

I turned the tap off quickly, turning to look at Erza, and drying off my hands with my shirt, keeping the pink soul mark hidden.

Erza looked up from her book.

She didn't look angry, but her stern expression was enough to make me feel like I was in trouble.

She put down her book and, to my surprise, said slowly,

"I think it's very noble Lucy. Lisanna is very lucky to have you as a friend."

I managed a weak sort of smile, and walked back over to my gloves, pulling them on again.

My fingers fumbling I began to put on my waitressing uniform.

"He's not going to be happy when he finds out," Erza said.

I swallowed awkwardly, feeling nettled.

"I didn't know what else to do," I said, not looking at Erza under the pretense of straightening my uniform. "I'm not going to break up a relationship when they obviously clearly care for each other."

Erza stood up and walked over, gripping my shoulder comfortingly.

"I'll try and convince him to come around."

"You're can't tell him," I said quickly, thinking mostly of me instead of Lisanna. I still had to stay in a hotel with him tonight.

Erza smiled reassuringly,

"I'm not going to, it's not my secret to tell. But I do know that when the truth comes out, Natsu is going to feel very betrayed by someone he loves and someone whose soul was made to match his. That's not going to be easy for him."

I bit my lip.

"You think he won't forgive me?"

"He will," she said, letting go of my shoulder, "but Natsu's not really a thinker. He acts on what he feels without much thought as to the consequences. I'll try and keep him in line, but just be aware. He's gonna get 'all fired up' and not in a good way."

I nodded dimly and Erza smiled, leading the way out of the changing room and into the hallway.

I followed, seeing Natsu and Gray were standing glaring at each other, but both stand up straight when Erza stopped in front of them.

"Remember what I told you boys about fighting." She warned. "Behave, or else."

They both nodded and with a severe look Erza walked past them, heading up the stairs that led to the ballroom.

They both let out a breath of relief, but I was surprised to see Gray grinning a little.

"Behave or else?" He muttered. "Wonder if it's Lucy who should be saying that."

Natsu sniggered.

"Why would I say that?" I asked.

Natsu grinned at me, dimples forming in his cheeks as he tried to stop himself from laughing,

"Come on? Mistress Heartfelia? I bet your soul mate is into some real kinky stuff Lucy."

I felt my face start to go red and turned away, running up the stairs after Erza, and leaving both boys sniggering behind me.

* * *

We spent the next hour with the other wait staff, sorting out trays of drinks and party food, and emerging just before the orchestra started playing.

The ballroom filled steadily, some people moving to waltz in the middle, some chatting with glasses in their hands, some inspecting the contents of the cases.

I was glad I was on food duty not drinks. I knew first hand people didn't really want to eat at these sorts of parties, but more importantly I also knew some of the guests in the room.

The last thing I needed was to be ratted out as a magician, seeing as my Father had kept this entire world a secret my whole life. He might not even know that some of his business associates were wizards, seeing as he ignored this world after Mum died.

Mr Everlue was at the door taking invitations, greeting every guest warmly, and grinning the same false, polite, smile.

Seeing as I had to watch out for who to avoid (or rather who might know my Father) I was watching everyone who came in through the door pretty closely.

Though I did spot a few Lords and Ladies, one particular guest stood out to me among the rest.

Having grown up around heirs to family fortunes, I noticed that one of the guests wasn't here because they had money.

Her short white hair was swept off her face stylishly, and her dress looked expensive enough, but she didn't hold herself as perfectly as I was taught to.

Though her posture was the only thing suspicious about her, my gut told me she was someone to follow as she wound her way around the dancefloor, pausing now and again to look at artefacts in their cases.

I started edging around the crowd, keeping half an eye on people I should be avoiding, and offer canopés as I watched her walk slowly up the marble steps.

I reached the bottom of the steps as she reached the top, turning right and walking along the balcony.

I followed on the pretense of offering food to those chatting on the balcony, watching as she walked to the end, looked around, and turned left.

Seeing her face again, up close, I recognised the thinly veiled nervous expression.

It was the girl who'd tried to buy Taurus's key.

She turned down the corridor towards the room with Virgo's display, and I sped after her, glad she was wearing shoes of a noble lady because it slowed her down a little.

I stalked quickly down the corridor, catching up with her just before Virgo's display room and saying,

"Excuse me—" but the girl whipped around, something black in her hand as said,

"Open, gate of the snake charmer!"

There was the sound of a doorbell, a puff of smoke, and something heavy smacked into my stomach. I flew backward into the wall, the silver tray in my hands clanging as it hit a table, sending finger food flying.

I felt my stomach drop as I looked up at what had hit me, and grabbed the tray as a kind of sheild, scrambling to my feet.

The massive snake hissed at me, tall as the high ceiling and covered in metallic purple scales, coiled in the doorway of Virgo's exhibit.

The snake lifted its tail, ready to swing it at me again, and I raised the shield as I reached for my pouch of keys.

The snake's tail bashed into the tray before I could get my fingers inside the pouch, and I was thrown off my feet, landing hard on the carpeted floor, the dented tray flying from my hand as I rolled to a stop.

My fingers finally felt for the axe shaped key in my pouch, and clenching it in my fist I cried,

"Open gate of the golden bull!"

There was the sound of a doorbell and a puff of smoke appeared between me and the snake.

Before Taurus could fully emerge from his spirit smoke I pointed at the snake, yelling,

"Get it Taurus!"

The snake swung its tail around again, attempting this time to knock Taurus off his feet, but Taurus rolled sideways.

I watched as he unsheathed his axe, but looking back at the snake my heart dropped.

I saw the girl with white hair climb over the snake's coil's, a golden key in her hand.

The snake turned its head to look at the girl, as if waiting for instructions, leaving its gaurd down for Taurus to lunge.

Axe raised over his head, the blade swung down through the serpent's body, the white haired girl screaming as it sliced through three coils of metal scales.

Instead of a hiss, the snake let out a mechanical roar, dissapearing in a puff of smoke, and leaving the white haired girl visible.

She was fumbling for something in her pocket, pulling out another key with her free hand. This key wasn't black, it was as gold as Virgo's.

"Open, gate of the heavenly scales," the girl shouted, and there was another clanging doorbell sound and another puff of spirit smoke.

The smoke dissapated almost instantly, as if sucked into the surrounding air, revealing a woman floating half a foot above the ground.

She was dressed like a stereotypical fortune teller, with her lower face covered in cloth. Each hand clutched a very fine chain, which held up a shallow metal bow. I guessed this was the 'heavenly scales' aspect.

Taurus swung his axe at her but she spun on the spot, spreading her arms wide before the blade made contact.

My spirit was flung into the air, seemingly falling towards the ceiling, like Taurus' own personal gravity had been reversed. He landed hard, the ceiling cracking beneath him as he pushed against the invisible force holding him there.

"Miss Lucy I can't mooooove!"

"It's okay!" I yelled, pulling out my ring of keys.

I swiped his gate key through the air, letting him vanish in a puff of smoke. If the heavenly scales spirit could hold him still, her next plan of attack was to probably hurt him.

Knowing Plue and Pyxis wouldn't be much help against her, I ran at the heavenly scales spirit; determined to get to the white haired girl who still held Virgo's key, even if I had nothing but my bare hands.

The spirit swiped her hand almost lazily, and next second I was falling just like Taurus had done, falling upwards, straight towards the high ceiling.

I was thrown against the chiseled ceiling, smacking my head on the ornate stone work as I landed. Wincing, I tried to shake it off, my stomach dropping as I saw the girl with white hair run beneath me, back down the corridor.

"No!" I yelled. "Wait!"

I was still clutching the ring of keys, and I focused on not dropping them as I tried to get my fingers on Taurus' key again. Maybe I couldresummon him for a suprise attack on the girl's spirit.

The force pushing me into the ceiling got ever so slightly stronger, the designs carved into the stonework began pressing marks into my skin, but my heart leapt as a familiar voice echoed down the hall.

"HEY! THAT'S NOT YOURS TO TAKE!"

"Natsu!" I yelled, watching as he sprinted towards the white haired girl. "Her spirit can control gravity!"

As if to prove that fact, the heavenly scales spirit vanished in a puff of spirit smoke, and my personal gravity suddenly returned to normal.

I screamed as I started to fall, and I shut my eyes instinctively as the ground flew up to meet me.

I landed a lot more gently then I'd imagined. Something that let out a small 'ooof' as I made impact.

Natsu had apparently sprinted past the white haired girl and slid beneath me, cushioning my fall with his body instead of catching me.

"You okay?" He asked.

I nodded fervently, and pushed myself up, steadying myself as Natsu got to his feet.

"She's got Virgo's key." I said, taking his arm breifly to pull him into a run. "Come on!"

Natsu was a lot faster then me, sprinting ahead towards shouts coming from the ballroom.

We ran out onto the balcony, spotting the girl with white hair running down the wide marble stairs that led to the dance floor.

Natsu vaulted over the balcony wall, yelling,

"Happy!"

The voice of his blue cat came from behind me,

"Aye Sir!"

I didn't have time to turn around a check it was the cat, because Happy grabbed the back of my uniform and tugged me into the air.

He carried me over the balcony, and soared over to the doors, passing over chaos on the dancefloor below.

The rich and famous had clearly left the building, as Gray and Erza stood in the middle of a crowd of mercenaries, too busy fighting them off to pay me and Happy any attention.

We soared out the doors and turned right, chasing after a pink head of hair that rounded the corner of the mansion ahead of us.

Happy flew me around the side of the mansion and out back, where we came out into a massive garden, and Natsu running into a maze of tall hedges.

We flew over, Happy not stopping to regroup with Natsu, though looking below I saw why.

The fire dragon slayer was below us, fire billowing out his mouth, burning a tunnel through the maze of hedges.

At the centre of the maze I saw the white haired girl stood by a fountain, handing the key to someone who was standing on its edge, apprently to make himself taller.

Mr Everlue held up Virgo's key triumphantly, and spotted Happy and I in the sky, his face falling.

Happy dived, lining up a perfect opportunity for me to kick Mr Everlue in the head as he let me go.

My foot connected with his head and Virgo's key flew from his hand as he toppled off the side of the fountain.

I landed in the water with a splash, slipping over and falling backwards as I landed, soaking my uniform through.

I got up, knee deep in water, and slogged towrards the edge of the fountain, seeing the white haired girl frozen in place and Mr Everlue staggering towards me.

A few feet away from the fountain he broke into a run, leaping up onto the fountain's edge and bouncing like it was a sprint board, flying towards me like a cannon ball.

It was surprising how much weight could be condensed into such a small man.

He knocked me over backwards, and I fell back beneath the water, Everlue sitting on my chest to keep me under, his pudgy hands wrapping around my neck.

Panic immidiately flooded my senses, but my instincts seemed to remember almost being drowned. Without thinking about it, and without any breath to call it, I mouthed,

"Open gate of the water bearer!"

There was a muffled ding dong, and Mr Evelue's weight vanished from my chest. Suddenly I could breathe, all the water around me rising into the air, and I sat up coughing to see a blue mermaid hovering over me.

The fountain water rose in the air, twisting around Aquarius, and as she pushed at the air with her hand, the water shot like a fire-truck's hose at Mr Everlue.

Happy landed on the fountain's edge, not watching Mr Everlue, his eyes instead gazing at Aquarius.

"Lucy, you never said you were hiding a big fish in those keys!"

Aquarius turned on him, eyes flashing, and half the water pummeling Mr Everlue into the ground branched off, blasting Happy off the fountain's edge instead.

The white haired girl was still frozen, but as I forced myself to my feet she seemed to remember what she was doing.

She looked around for Virgo's key, spotting it in the grass as I got out of the fountain, and we both ran for it at the same time.

She got there first, but taking a leaf of Everlue's book I threw myself at her, tackling her to the ground.

We rolled around in the grass, me trying to pull the key from her tight grip, her trying to throw me off. Aquarius did nothing to help as we wrestled, but help did come.

A blast of fire burst from the hedge next to us and Natsu appeared, smoking billowing around him, his face set as he looked around at us all.

For a second I lost my focus, and in that small moment where my eyes were drawn to Natsu, the girl wrenched herself out of my grip and jumped up.

I lunged for her but missed as she ran for another of the maze's pathway, my Mother's key vanishing along with her.

Natsu took off after her as I tried to get up, slipping on the wet grass and yelling,

"COME BACK! PLEASE BRING HER BACK! OPEN GATE OF THE MAIDEN! COME BACK!"

But the key and the girl were gone. I hadn't made a contract with Virgo, it was all up to Natsu.

I heard the distant sound of a doorbell as I finally got to my feet, and I felt my heart sinking. If the girl had summoned Virgo, and Virgo managed to beat Natsu, she'd be gone forever. Something of my Mother's had been in arms reach, and I'd let someone steal it.

I swayed slightly, staggering over to the fountain where Aquarius had replaced the water. The mermaid wore an expression almost close to concern.

The ground quaked beneath my feet, and halfway to the fountain I almost toppled over, turning around at the sound of grass ripping apart behind me.

"You called Mistress?" Asked a familiar voice.

I felt faint with relief. No actually I just felt faint.

Virgo popped out of the ground and put an arm around my shoulders as I swayed,

"Do you need my assistance mistress?" I smiled shakily,

"Can we stop with the Mistress?" I asked shakily. Virgo smiled,

"Of course, would you like me to call you Princess? You enjoyed that when you were little."

I felt dizzy with surprise.

I remember most of the house staff calling me Princess while growing up, and judging from Virgo's uniform she could've been one of the staff. Still, I didn't remember her from when Mum was alive. Maybe Virgo was a mind reader.

The spirit seemed to take my silence for a yes and smiled,

"Very well Princess. With Aquarius in your charge I shall leave you to regather your magical energy. Please call me any day except Sunday, but remember; the vow of protection I made to your mother requires you to call me any time your life is in danger."

Virgo made sure I was steady on my feet before vanishing in a puff of smoke, her small golden key falling into the grass beside me.

I picked it up, and staggered the rest of the way over to the fountain.

I sank down on its edge, letting out a shaky breath.

The vow she made to my Mother? Was that part of her contract when Mum decided to leave her spirits to me? Why did she include a clause that'd leave them to me anyway? Did she know she wouldn't survive the war?

Happy dragged me out of my thoughts as he pulled himself up onto the fountain edge, slumping down next to me with a groan.

He was sopping wet and looking very sorry for himself.

Aquarius settled into the fountain water, propping her vase against the wall and leaning on the edge.

"Well," she said, almost not looking grumpy, "it's not a Wednesday brat, but at least you learn from experience."

Happy gave a little whimper as he wrang the water out his tail.

Aquarius glared at him, and he fell off the side of the fountain.

Aquarius looked around, apparently bored, and said,

"Your boyfriend is coming back."

I felt my stomach lurch as she vanished in a puff of spirit smoke, and hoped Happy hadn't heard what she said as she vanished in a puff of smoke. Scratch that, I hope Natsu didn't hear what she just said. The pounding of his feet didn't sound far off, and he said slayers have super good senses.

Natsu appeared in one of the gaps in the hedge and ran over, clearly irritated,

"She summoned this great big pink bear and a massive snake as a distraction. By the time I'd beaten them back to the celestial realm I couldn't even hear her."

Happy groaned, still on the ground, and Natsu immidiately rushed over to him.

"What happened buddy?!" He asked, picking him up like the cat was a baby.

"Lucy's big fish lady was really mean," Happy said, lying limply in Natsu's arms.

Natsu apparently didn't sense Happy was being overdramatic, because he looked at me with concern. I grimaced,

"Sorry. Aquarius is a bit of...well she's very easy to offend. Still, she did help me get this."

I held up Virgo's key.

Natsu's eyebrows rose,,

"I thought she ran off with that?" I grinned,

"I said the summoning thing and Virgo appeared. No idea how I did it without the key, but Levy will probably know. Taurus told me all the zodiac spirits have a contract with me, set up in case anything happened to Mum."

"So Virgo's yours now?" Natsu asked.

"I don't know…" Lucy said, "I mean she's contracted to me but—"

I broke off at the sound of running footsteps, and Natsu visibly flinched.

I spotted Erza, Gray, and Mr Neville running towards us, taking Natsu's fire-made short cut through the maze, but Natsu was staring at them like they were aliens.

"You okay?" I asked carefully.

Natsu seemed to shake himself,

"Yeah, fine...I just didn't hear them coming...I..." He trailed off, clearly thinking as they approached.

Mr Neville looked fine, Gray a little battle worn but probably because he was mostly naked. Thankfully he was still wearing his pants, but it wasn't much protection compared with Erza's blue skirt, boots, and a silver chest plate. The sword in each hand didn't hurt either.

I held up the key, waving it in the air as they got closer.

Erza and Mr Neville smiled triumphantly, Gray letting half a grin break through his monotone expression.

Mr Neville walked over to me, bowing a little as he said,

"Thank you so much Miss Lucy."

Trying to smile, I held out Virgo's key to him.

He reached out for it, but before he could take it Natsu batted my hand aside.

"Lucy's got a long standing contract with Virgo." He said solidly. "You can't take Virgo back!"

"Natsu don't be stupid," Gray said, "Lucy's never seen Virgo's key before today."

Natsu glared at him,

"That girl ran off with the key but Lucy managed to summon Virgo without it. They have a contract! Virgo belongs with Lucy."

I grimaced, knowing a little about laws involving property ownership, thanks to both my Father and Levy's research.

"Natsu the key belongs to the person who found it. Heck it's the state's property if they deem it dangerous enough to confiscate."

Natsu glared at me,

"But that's not right!"

"It's the law," I said, frustrated, "trust me, they make tsure to close any loopholes."

Mr Neville nodded at Natsu slowly,

"She's right." My heart clenched painfully. "With Mr Everlue forfeiting ownership after breaking the law, as I found it, the key is mine. But I am a researcher."

Mr Neville walked forwards and Natsu almost made as if to stop him, but I thrust the key determinately towards Mr Neville.

It was best to rip the plaster off quickly, so the key in the palm of my hand and waited for him to take it.

Mr Neville however closed my fingers around the key, and tapped my fist,

"As a researcher, I would ask that you take this key and train with it, updating me about its uses, personality, and anything else of note. I have enough things to be doing, and need to collect as much data as possible. It really would be a great help."

My vision grew slightly blurry as I looked up at him.

I blinked as his words sunk in, and felt my eyes welling up with tears.

I hurridly wiped them away before they could fall, pulling the fist holding Virgo's key back to my chest and opening my hand.

The fob of the key was shaped like a harp, encrusted with a red jem in the shape of Virgo's symbol. The bottom of the key shaped like a locked heart.

"Thank you," I said quietly, looking up back at Mr Neville, who smiled down at me.

"It's no trouble Miss Heartfelia. After all, your Mother would've wanted you to have it." I stared at him,

"You— you knew my Mum?" Mr Neville smiled sadly,

"I never had the pleasure myself, but you look so like Layla in the painting at the Magic Council."

I opened my mouth a little, not knowing what to say, but was saved from speaking as Mr Everlue groaned,

"Heartfelia's...dirt, the lot of you...your Father is going to pay ooof—"

Natsu had walked over and kicked him in the ribs.

"Mr Neville," Erza said formally, "we will escorted Mr Everlue back to the main hall, but once the authorities have been called, if you no longer require our services, may we recieve our reward?"

"Yes, yes, of course."

He nodded and set off back to the house, Erza following him, and Gray walking over to pick up Everlue.

I got up, but only managed one step forwards before my knees gave way and I fell to the ground.

A hand appeared in front of my vision, and I looked up to see Natsu frowning at me, a knowing expression on his face.

"You summoned two zodiac spirits at the same time didn't you?"

I didn't answer, taking his hand and trying not to notice how warm his palms. My clothes were still soaking from the fountain.

Once on my feet again I let go of his hand, taking another determined step, but almost falling over again if Natsu hadn't slipped his arm around my waist.

Holding me with one arm, and Happy with the other, he raised his eyebrows at me, clearly daring me to try again.

I felt too tired to resist help, and scowled at him in defeat, muttering,

"Shut up..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter, one more fact ma friend!
> 
> Shark teeth found on the beach in the middle ages were thought to be dragon tongues - so in the middle ages they thought dragons were teeny weeny :3
> 
> Hope to see ya in the next chapter :)  
> M


	6. Lucy's Letter

Happy's complaining all the way back to the ballroom helped distract me from the arm Natsu had around my waist.

I didn't even know the guy, certainly not well enough to have a crush on him, but Erza's words kept ringing in my head, and it made me feel nervous being so close to him.

The marble floor of the ballroom had cracked in places, the fracture points clearly made by weapons stabbed through the floor.

Two police officers were in the corner, standing guard over the mercenaries Erza and Gray were fighting earlier. The mercenaries all looked a little rattled, even if many hadn't been injured badly, all sat against the wall with their hands cuffed behind them.

Gray dragged Mr Everlue towards the officers, one of whom was holding a glowing pen. I wondered if they were police officers from the magic council or magic council officials who worked in the police. I had neither the energy nor interest to ask Natsu as he helped me across the ballroom, down the stairs to the staff area, and along to the girls changing rooms.

He let me take my own weight again at the door and I tried not to make too much use of the doorframe, keeping myself standing as upright as possible.

Opening the door I managed to stumble slowly over to the bench. I refused Erza's offer to help me walk, but let her sit and wait while I changed. I wasn't entirely sure if I was at risk from passing out.

Although my spare clothes were dry, the uniform had been soaked through, and I didn't have a spare pair of gloves.

Erza offered me a pair from her armoury, but after taking me through her entire set, I couldn't see a single passable pair.

The closest candidate were her purgatory gloves, but calling them punk was a bit of a stretch considering the inch long spikes that covered them.

I wrung as much water as I could out of my gloves, resigned to drying them on a radiator back at the hotel.

Once changed, though I felt dead on my feet, I did manage a slow walk to the door, and even climbed the steps up to the ballroom, pulling myself along on the hand rail.

Erza went to find Mr Neville to hand back our uniforms, Natsu and Gray having already changed - or rather Gray had put some clothes back on.

While the ice mage inspected one fo the exhibit cases on the far side of the room, Natsu sat in the middle of the ball room, cross legged, with Happy in his lap.

His hands were obscured by balls of fire that Happy seemed to be using to dry off.

Walking so slowly, I only just made it over to him by the time Erza came back.

Happy, now mostly dry, climbed back inside Natsu's rucksack as Natsu stood up.

He smiled at me as I reached him, and pulled my arm over his shoulder. His hands were wonderfully warm from the fire, making it nye on impossible to pull away.

"It's okay," I said, "I can walk down to town on my own."

Natsu raised his eyebrows,

"Sure. Run to the front door and I'll believe you."

]I scowled at him but, with a deep breath, launched myself forwards determinately.

I managed a few steps before my ankle wobbled beneath me, my legs buckling and my knees hitting the marble painfully.

I got to my feet grumpily and tried to make a point of not looking at Natsu as he walked over, waiting for me to admit defeat and put my arm over his shoulder again.

It was embaressing having to be supported all the way back to the hotel, but truth be told I doubt I'd have made the entire ten minute walk on my own. By the time we got back up to our rooms I didn't even have the energy to run a bath.

Erza let us into our twin room and I ripped off my gloves, flopping down on the bed with a huge sigh of relief.

I felt so comfortable, especially with my hands finally bare, that I fell asleep before I could stop myself.

* * *

The door burst open and I awoke with a start, sitting up in bedcovers that Erza must've put over me in the night.

I blinked blearily in the bright morning sunlight, Happy zooming into the room chanting,

"Fish! Fish! Fish!"

Natsu strode into the room, dumping several plastic bags of what must've been breakfast onto the end of my bed.

Gray had walked in after him and was sitting on Erza's empty bed, Erza herself standing by the radiator.

She held up a ball of material that I realised were my gloves. She'd apparently done me the favour of putting them there to dry overnight.

My stomach dropped a little as Natsu collapsed onto the edge of my bed, and I quickly stowed my right hand beneath the covers.

Erza tossed my gloves across the room, and I caught them with my left hand, putting them on hurridly under my bedsheets.

"What's wrong with you?" Natsu asked, frowning at me. "Feel naked if you don't have something on your hands?"

With my gloves now on I gestured at his scarf,

"What, like you feel naked without that thing around your neck?"

Natsu's hand came up to tug at his scarf, looking very full of himself,

"And why would I take off a gift from a dragon? It's fire proof, unlike the rest of my clothes."

"So you wear it incase you clothes catch fire, and you have to cover yourself up?"

Natsu looked affronted,

"Hey, I am not the member of team Natsu who strips."

"Team Natsu?!" Gray protested. "Since when were we—" but whatever he was going to say next died on his tongue, Erza sinking down on her bed next to him and glaring at him warningly.

Clearly he didn't feel like giving her the opportunity to beat anyone up, not this early in the morning.

Erza seemed satisfied with his silence and lent over to the plastic bags.

She pulled out two croissants, biting into one and handing me the other.

Having not eaten dinner yesterday I was ravenous, but I almost choked on my first mouthful as I saw what Natsu was doing.

He'd taken a cheap lighter out of his pocket, lit it, and sucked the flame into his mouth.

Apparently this was completely normal, because he got out a box of fish for Happy, opened it for him, then lit another flame nonchalantly.

Natsu raised the lighter to his mouth but hesitated as he caught sight of my face, asking,

"Why're you staring at me?"

Grey kicked him,

"She doesn't know about Dragon Slayer magic idiot."

Natsu, for once, didn't seem to rise to his derogatory tone. He turned back to me with a smile,

"Oh. Dragon slayers have to eat the element they use in their magic. I'm a fire dragon slayer, so I have to eat fire to use my magic."

He burped and a little smoke came out his mouth,

"I don't really like fire made from gas though. Gives me indigestion. But I gotta make sure I'm all fired up in case we meet that key thief on the road."

It was indesribably odd to watch him sipping a flame off the lighter.

Noticing he wasn't eating any breakfast I asked,

"Do you need to eat normal food?"

Natsu laughed,

"Yeah, even dragons are human. Fire just fuels my magic."

And as if to demonstrate he reached into the bag to pick out a croissant, stuffing all of it in his mouth and scattering pastry flakes all over my sheets.

Well. At least I was right about his table manners.

* * *

A good night's sleep had done me a lot of good, and though I still felt drained, I didn't feel like I was going to pass out as we walked to the train station.

Natsu was on the floor again for the entire train trip, but I wasn't strong enough to carry him off the train when we got back to Magnolia.

Erza made Gray carry him instead, a decision both boys were obviously none too happy about.

Still they managed not to start a fight on the way back to the Guildhall, though Erza can probably take more credit then Natsu's inability to walk straight.

Natsu had shoved Gray off him a street away from Fairy Tail, and when Erza opened the doors he grabbed my wrist, pulling me inside, saying,

"Come on, Levy's over here."

Trying to ignore the immense warmth of his hand, I followed his line of sight, spotting Lisanna and Levy at a table in a corner.

Natsu let go of me when we drew nearer, and both girls looked up, Lisanna jumping to her feet when she realised who it was.

When we reached the table Lisanna jumped into Natsu's arms, and I was thankfully distracted from any PDA as Levy drew me into a hug.

"How'd it go?!" Levy asked, drawing back from me and falling back into her seat.

I fell into the seat next to her like a sack of potatoes, and Levy frowned at me with concern,

"You alright Lu?"

"Yeah, just tired." I said truthfully, my stomach giving a small pang as Natsu and Lisanna sat down across from us, holding hands on top of the table.

"Lucy found a new gate key," Natsu explained, "but we had to fight someone for it. Same person we saw in the shop when she bought Taurus."

I waved away Levy's look of concern,

"There was a bit of a fight but we kicked their asses. I accidentally summoned two zodiac spirits at once, so I'm not feeling great right now. Still, we got our reward and I've got my rent!"

"Two Zodiacs at once?!" Levy said, for some reason incredulous.

Natsu chuckled, grinned at me pointedly,

"Yep. And the new zodiac key calls her Mistress." I glared at Natsu,

"She does not!"

"Does too," he said, grinning at me as I pulled my ring of keys from the pouch on my belt.

"Open, gate of the maiden!" I said defiantly.

There was the sound of a doorbell and a large cloud of spirit smoke rose up at the end of our small table.

Virgo appeared out of it, bowing, and smiling down at me,

"How can I be of service Princess?"

Natsu burst out laughing,

"You got her to call you Princess instead?!"

"Well it was better than Mistress!" I protested.

"Are you sure you prefer Princess?" Virgo asked. "I'm happy to use whichever title you prefer."

Natsu grinned up at Virgo,

"Call her Luigi, she'll love that." Virgo stared at him with her icy blue eyes, then looked back at me solemnly,

"Is this why you called me on a Sunday Princess? Is his idiocy threatening you? Would you like me to punish him?"

Lisanna and Levy burst out laughing this time. Natsu leat back in his seat, looking a little anxious about the sincerity in Virgo's voice.

I didn't laugh however, realising with horror that I'd violated Virgo's contract.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry! I completely forgot I couldn't call you on Sundays!"

Virgo smiled,

"I can change my contract if you wish Princess. Lady Layla gave me Sundays off but—"

"—I'd like to keep it that way," I insisted, "Sorry Virgo, it won't happen again."

Virgo smiled,

"Very well Princess. Plead do not hesitate to call if you need me."

"Thanks," I said, casting a quick grin at Lisanna, "if Natsu steps out of line mid-week, you'll be the first one I call."

Natsu looked at me warily, then shot the same look at Lisanna who was clearly trying to look threatening (though she was a bit too cute to look all that intimidating).

"Princess," Virgo said, "I have been asked to give you something from the celestial realm. It is a relic that we believe will help you, especially if you are in need but low on magical energy."

Virgo took a cylindrical object out of her apron and held it out to me. I took it from her, noticing that the metal felt strangely warm beneath my fingers.

"Thanks Virgo," I said, smiling as the spirit bowed her head and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

I looked down at the metal cylinder Virgo had given me, turning it over in my hands.

It was engraved with the writing 'Fleuve d'atoiles'. Turning it over, I counted each of the twelve zodiac constellations, all carved around the wording in the metal.

"That looks like French." Levy said, looking over my shoulder. "River of Stars, I think it says. Does that mean a river comes out of it?"

I shrugged, holding it out in front of my experimentally.

Pointing it at Natsu, I thrust it forwards like a sword. He flinched, but nothing happened.

"Maybe try channelling magic through it?" Lisanna suggested.

"How do I do that?"

"The way I transform is by imagining my magic flowing out of my core. Maybe try imagining your magic flowing into that?"

I looked back down at the metal baton.

Trying to imagine some kind of light flowing around inside me, I envisioned it travelling through my hand and into the baton.

At once a tendril of water sprouted out the end of it, curling around and around, coiling on the table as it grew longer. Then, golden light twisted around the water, as if holding it in place.

When it stopped growing, the gold light around it began pulsing, almost in time with my heartbeat.

"Is that a whip?" Natsu asked, watching it lying innocently on the table top.

I glared at him, waiting for the penny to drop.

After a second, he sat back and cackled,

"Oh god! Mistress Lucy has a whip!"

"Hilarious." I said, letting go of the metal handle and watching the tendril of water retract like a tape measure.

Natsu was almost crying with laughter, and banged his hand on the table as he choaked out,

"I don't even wanna think what your soul mate is into!"

Lisanna and Levy both laughed awkwardly, very quickly changing the subject.

* * *

Levy and I left not long after that, all three of us girls feeling too awkward to hang out with the comments Natsu was making.

I wasn't feeling up to much after summoning Virgo anyway, so Levy and I walked back to my flat.

I was half way through a blow by blow account of my mission at the mansion when we turned into Strawberry street, and as we passed one of the alleys between the houses Levy threw out an arm for me to stop.

I halted, falling silent and hearing what Levy had stopped me for.

It sounded like someone was running, and another person was struggling with someone.

A very harressed looking post man came sprinting out, terror on his face as he ran past us.

Levy and I shared a glance.

Could this be a dark guild member attacking someone? Natsu had said they were targeting radom people.

I got my whip out of my bag as we edged towards the alley, keeping close to the wall.

Very slowly, we peeked around the corner, the alley dim but full of enough daylight so see what was going on.

There was a letter on the ground, ripped open from what I could see, and a figure was stood in the middle of the alley.

I'd say he was human from the shape of his body, but the four massive limbs sprouting out his back told me different. Each was covered in red shell, the top two ending in sharp crab claws.

The crab man held a pair of sissors in each of his human hands, and was batting away two exceeds that I didn't recognise.

One was bright red, hissing and spitting as it flew around crab man's head, slashing at him with its claws.

The other exceed had a green fur which (because it didn't look wierd enough) was mostly obscured by a pink frog costume. Unlike it's partner, it wasn't really attack crab man, just clinging to his leg like that would stop him from escaping.

Knowing I was too weak to summon anyone, I channeled magic through my whip and stepped into the alleyway.

I flicked the metal baton and the water-like rope shot out, golden light spirnning around it in a blur as it smacked into the red exceed flying overhead.

The whip was more clearly powerful then it looked, because the cat was batted out of the air and hit the ground spitting. It jumped up quickly and ran towards me on all fours.

"Solid Script!" I heard Levy shout behind me. "Water!"

The word 'water', a foot in length, appeared above the red cat, each letter made entirely of liquid. The word fell through the air, the water crashing down on the red exceed and making it skid to a halt, spluttering.

I took the chance to run past the red cat, heading towards the crab man as he managed to pluck the green exceed off his leg.

He looked up at me as I approached, and his shoulders sunk with what was clearly relief, because he immidiately gave up fighting, dissapearing in a puff of spirit smoke.

There was a small tinkling of metal on cobble stone, and the smoke cleared to show me something gold lying on the alley floor.

The green exceed picked it up and I crouched down, fully intent on wrestling the zodiac key from it, but the green cat held it out to me with a smile.

I took it from him, a little confused, and heard a gruff voice behind me shout,

"No, Frosh! Wrong blonde! That's not Sting!"

The green exceed cat held its paws over its mouth in horror, then began pushing against my leg, as if toppling me to the floor woudl make me let go of the key.

I didn't see any reason to push it away, and simply snatched the open envelope from the ground, standing up at Levy cried,

"LOOK OUT!"

A red blur collided with my face, claws sinking into my cheeks and tearing at my skin.

I dropped the whip, not daring to let go of the key, and grabbed the red cat by the scruff of its neck, pulling it off me.

It hung, claws still swiping, and I swung around, throwing it from me, stupidly fogetting that it could fly.

Levy was running towards me as the red cat caught himself in the air, and I snatched up my whip, fully intent on running towards her but stopping as I saw what lay at the end of the alley.

The silhouette of a large man blocked the end of the alleyway, and something small and black was flying through the air towards us.

Another cat. Another exceed.

As Levy reached me it flew over our heads, colliding with the red exceed mid-air.

Not only did it tackle the red cat to the ground, but the black exceed started to grow in size, holding the red exceed in place with muscles that bulged under its fur. It looked more like a cat version of Taurus, now the size of a fully grown man.

At the sound of footsteps behind me I turned, ready to use my whip again, as the figure from the end of the alley ran towards us.

I let out a sigh or relief as I realised who it was, but Levy clutched my arm tightly, apprently not recognising him.

Course, Gajeel's red eyes and piercings didn't look all that comforting, and he didn't use a very gentle tone, shouting,

"Get inside and lock the door!"

It was a true testiment to mine and Levy's friendship that she followed me when I tugged her towards him. Gajeel looked terrifying normally, but with his face set, ready to fight, he looked a little murderous.

Still, Levy followed as we ran past Gajeel and back down the alley, turning back into the street and running for my apartment.

At the door I bent down hurridly, pulling my necklace out of my shirt and shoving my house key into the door, unlocking it.

Levy and I raced inside and I slammed the door shut, turning the three safety locks before running upstairs.

Out of breath, we stood at the top of the stairs, watching the window in the door for Gajeel's outline.

The door to my bedroom opened and Levy shrieked, holding it together better then I did as I fell over backwards, shoving magic into my whip and throwing it at the person in the doorway.

The intruder jumped back before the whip made contact, and Gajeel stepped into the light, his hands over his ears.

"Shut up!" He yelled, screwing up his eyes as if he was in pain.

I stopped screaming.

"Jeeze," Gajeel growled, taking his hands away from his ears, "did no one tell you about slayer hearing?"

"I—sorry. I thought..." I trailed off, letting go of my whip so that the watery rope retracted into the handle. "How did you get here so quick?"

Gajeel stared at me, clearly offended.

"They're cats. Lilly's taking care of it, I just had to check there was no one else around. You left your window open by the way. Bit of a security hazard when you live by yourself."

I felt myself go a little red and stood up, embaressed I forgot to lock it. Sure, I wasn't used to having to lock my windows at the Academy, but there were a lot of things about normal life I was still getting used to. This was just a little more dangerous than forgetting my lunch money.

"Thanks for that," I said, jabbing my finger at the door behind me, and walking over to one of my couches.

I collapsed on it, a lot more tired then I had been when I'd left the guild despite having used so little magic.

"How come you were around to help?" I asked, wondering if dragon slayers could hear stuff this far from the Guildhall.

Gajeel shrugged,

"Makarov's been having me follow you. Check you make it home and Shrimpy gets back to her dorm without being attacked by dark wizards."

Gajeel crossed his arms as I stared at him, slightly abashed.

"He thinks your too inexperienced," Gajeel explained, "new mages are easy targets for dark guilds to take as hostages."

Gajeel shrugged off my look of shock, turning on the spot as he said,

"I'll leave you guys be. Someone'll be here in the morning to pick you up. Just close the window after I leave, would ya?"

I nodded guiltily, both Levy and I saying,

"Thanks," as Gajeel went back into my bedroom.

Levy followed, a little behind, closing the door when Gajeel had left through it and locking it before coming back into the living room.

"Firstly," she said, standing in the doorway and staring at me in disbelief, "Shrimpy? I'm not shrimpy?!"

"I mean, you are really short."

Levy shot me a betrayed look and stomped over to sit next to me, crossing her arms.

"Secondly, first that girl was after keys, now its two dragon slayers?" I stared at her,

"Natsu and that lot don't want my keys?"

"Of course they don't," Levy said obviously, "but those were exceeds, and only dragon slayers have exceeds. There must be other dragon slayers outside Fairy Tail."

"Why would dragon slayers want my keys?" I asked.

Levy gestured to the ripped envelope in my hand,

"Maybe that might tell us?"

I shrugged, pulling out the letter, unfolding it, and reading aloud,

"Dear Miss Lucy,

"I hope you are doing well in your new apartment, but take care seeing as you live on your own. As to what you asked me in your letter, I will tell you all I know, but you must understand your Father hid magic from you for a reason. It is a very dangerous world for a celesial wizard to live in. Particularly for you and your mother.

"You won't remember, but Magic Council representatives tried to take you into custody when Layla passed. They made a formal statement to all the staff, that your mother had given her life to protect Fiore on the battle field. They tell me they didn't manage to salvage many of her keys, but a few were given back to us. I now pass the one I had in my keeping onto you.

"I have kept it, along with a few silver keys, until you came of age. Your Father of course, is unaware of this. He is also unaware that before her passing, Lady Layla gave me a warning. In the unforunate case that she didn't make it out of the war, she guessed your Father's thin patience with the magical world would vanish altogether. She knew he might attempt to have her keys destroyed instead of passing them onto you.

"The gold key was too precious to leave my person, but I've managed to hide what few silver keys we were given around the estate. Looking at Layla's notes, this key doesn't seem to be as powerful as the other zodiac spirits, but if you intend to embark on the same path as Layla, it should be in your care.

"I will keep the rest of the silver keys safe until I see you at Christmas. Keep safe Lady Lucy. All the best, Spetto."

I stared at the letter, processing all it meant.

Levy pointed at a sentence near the end,

"He's not very powerful? Why would two dragon slayers want the key if he's not very powerful?"

I shrugged, and looked down at the golden key,

"I don't know...but maybe he does."

"Lucy!" Levy warned but I ignored her, pointing the key at the centre of the room and commanding,

"Open gate of the giant crab!"

There was the clanging of a doorbell, and I felt a little faint as the plume of spirit smoke appeared in the room, but I needed to know more than Spetto had been able to tell me.

The crab man emerged from the smoke, snipping the sissors in each of his hands in time with his crab claws.

In the brighter light of my apartment, I could see that Cancer wore a garish, low buttoned shirt.

It clashed horribly with his red cornrows, but he seemed to think he look fabulous, striking a pose like he was about to start dancing,

"Thank you kindly for your help in the alley way Miss Lucy. Can I repay you with a new do?"

Cancer clicked his pincers, and raised the sissors in his hands.

Was the best hairdresser in the celestial realm worth that much to two dragon slayers?

"Er, I'm fine for the moment thanks." I said, wanting to get through this conversation quickly so I didn't use up too much magical energy. "I was just wondering if you knew why a those exceeds attacked you?"

Cancer snipped his scissors and looked off into the distance heroically,

"Probably after some of the finest hair styles in Fiore."

Levy and I shared a look.

"Riiight," I said slowly.

Already guessing what his answer might be, I still asked tentitively,

"While you're here, would it be alright if I made a contract with you?"

Cancer snipped his scissors again, flashing us a toothy smile,

"We're already contracted little lady. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Your Mumma had it written in all the zodiac's contracts to defer our services to you."

Same as what Virgo and Taurus had said.

"My mother did this for all the zodiac?"

Cancer snipped his claws and scissors this time,

"Mmhmm."

Levy seemed to realise what I was thinking, and spoke up,

"But Lucy met Libra just yesterday, and she was contracted to someone else?"

Cancer crossed his human arms, pouting,

"I heard about that. The mage was in danger so I'm told..."

"So they made a contract to protect her?" I asked.

Cancer snipped his sissors,

"Mmhmm."

My head began spinning gently. I was pushing my magical limits a bit too much.

"Thanks Cancer," I said, holding my forehead in an attempt to steady my vision, "I'll see ya later yeah?"

Cancer did a pirouette, snipped his scissors once, and was gone in a puff of smoke.

"You okay Lu?" Levy asked.

"Yeah, just a little lightheaded," I said, grimacing at her concerned expression, "I'm just gonna sit here for a while. Think I'm a bit low on magical energy."

Levy sat back importantly.

"I've been reading up on that."

"You? Reading? Really!?"

Levy rolled her eyes,

"Specifically, I've been reading about how magical energy differs depending on what magic you cast. When you texted me about passing out this week I skipped ahead to that chapter."

"Anything interesting?" I asked, watching Levy's eyes light up like usual.

She always got really excited when presenting research findings.

"I found a section specifically detailing summoning magic. It takes years to increase your magical energy, especially to summon more than one spirit at once. And that was referencing silver keys."

I raised my eyebrows,

"Well obviously the book's wrong. I mean, I nearly passed out but I still managed it." Levy shook her head,

"I don't think it is wrong, Lu. See I was reading up on dragon slayer magic too, and they have these ridiculously big magical cores. It lets them branch out into several types of magic besides their parent's. Lisanna told me she'd managed to teach Natsu a little transformation magic."

"Right...what does that have to do with me summoning two zodiac spirits at once?"

Levy lent forwards,

"It means— well I was thinking it could mean...Lucy what if you're a dragon slayer?"

I snorted in disbelief,

"I get where you're coming from, but no. Dragon slayers have to eat the element of their magic, remember? Natsu was popping lighter flames like sweets before we got on the train this morning. And that's another thing. Gray told me all slayers get travel sick, but I don't have any trouble with being on a train."

Levy quickly pushed aside my evidence,

"There's always exceptions to the rule. And just look at the letter Lu! It's a dangerous world for celestial wizards, paricularly for you and your Mum! Dragon slayers are rare, and because you're new to magic...well look at what Gajeel said. Maybe, the reason your Mum fought so closely with dragons in the war, was because she _was_ a dragon!"

I felt something twinge in my stomach. The memory of Mr Neville floated to the top of my mind, where he'd told me Mum was in a war-heroes mural at the magic council.

I looked down at my lap,

"They brought back her body Levy. The dragons didn't die, they disappeared."

Levy reached out and clasped my gloved hand,

"But surely there wouldn't be a painting of her at the magical government's headquarters, if she wasn't one of the most powerful mages in that battle."

I pulled my hand away and stripped my gloves off, poking more holes in Levy's idea,

"If my Mum was a dragon then how'd she die? All the rest of the dragons got away, but not her? What's she supposed to be a dragon of anyway?"

"Starlight." Levy said confidently.

"Starlight?"

She nodded,

"If there's a fire dragon, an iron dragon, and a sky dragon, why shouldn't there be a celestial dragon?"

I stared at her,

"And how exactly does one eat star light?"

Levy grinned,

"That's the thing, you don't have to. Whether it's the sun or the stars, everyone absorbs light through their skin. The difference with you is it fuels your magic."

I sighed,

"Okay, lets say all that's possible. You're still not explaining why my Mum died and every other giant magical lizard just vanished. I saw her body at the funeral Levy."

I stood up, feeling the need to pace the room, but my vision went black before I'd stood up straight.

Passing out is a dramatic way to end a conversation, but let me tell you, it's pretty effective.

* * *

Levy stayed the night at my apartment. Despite Gajeel's advice, I opened the window when I went to bed.

Levy had used her solid script magic to light a fire in the fire place. with the flames heating the apartment all evening, it was too hot to fall asleep under the covers. Still, I found it nye on impossible to sleep without covers on, so the open window was my only solution.

Levy slept on the sofa while I slept in my bed. At 7am, despite my closed bedroom door, I'm sure my shriek of horror woke her up.

I opened my eyes, curled up in bed, all warm and relaxed.

Relaxed until I saw the pink haired mage swivelling around in my desk chair.

Natsu clapped his hands over his ears as I shrieked,

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?"

Natsu was clearly trying to play it cool, lowering his hands from his ears and picking up the book he'd been reading.

"I could ask you the same question," he said, flipping through a few pages idly.

"This is my bedroom!" I yelled. "I was sleeping!"

My heart was still hammering in shock as Natsu put down the book,

"Okay, let me ask you a different question. Would you rather be woken up with me sat in this chair, or wake up because someone's breaking in through your window?"

I almost raked my hand down my face in irritation (because he was technically right) but remembered just in time I wasn't wearing my gloves.

Before I could think of how to respond, Levy burst through the door, a kitchen knife in her hand which she nearly threw at Natsu.

"WHAT'S GOING ON!?" She yelled, breathing hard and not lowering the knife as she stared at my soul mate.

Natsu scowled at her,

"Luigi's upset I was keeping guard, while she slept with her window open."

Levy frowned at me,

"But Gajeel—"

"—I got hot!" I protested, bunching the covers around me.

I stared at Levy meaningfully, glancing at Natsu, then at the sheets bunched around my hands.

Thankfully she was quick to catch on, looking around, and finding my gloves on my desk next to Natsu.

She strode over, snatched them up, and tossed them too me, walking tiredly from the room with the kitchen knife held loosley in her hand.

I pulled on the gloves and got out of bed, Natsu resuming his spinning around on my desk chair.

"Can you wait in the sitting room?" I asked.

Natsu looked thoroughly confused,

"Why?"

"Because I've got to get changed," I said obviously.

A look of comprehension dawned on his face, and he got up.

I didn't know whether to be pleased or offended as he ran out the room.

I mean I know he has a girlfriend, but I'm not that bad looking, am I?

* * *

Once I was changed, I walked out into the living area.

Levy passed by my in the doorway, wanting to change out of her pyjamas in the privacy of my bedroom.

In the kitchen I saw Happy, sat on the counter next to the fridge, and Natsu was searching my shelves.

For a small, slightly heart fluttering moment, I thought my soul mate was going to make me breakfast. My stupid day dream was curshed however as he turned around to look at me, clearly disgruntled,

"You got anything to eat?"

Right, of course. Soul mate not date mate, remember?

"Did you not have breakfast?" I asked.

Happy's wings appeared and he flew towards me, crashing into my chest, my arms quickly coming around to hold him as his wings dissapeared. I was half tempted to drop him when he whined,

"Breakfast was aaaaages ago."

I was half tempted to drop him as he started sinking his claws into my shirt, it what he clearly thought was a very cute gesture of affetion.

It hit me in that moment, that I was standing in my own apartment, berating the fact that a pink haired teenager (that ate fire) was requesting food for him and his blue, flying, talking cat.

How times can change.

"I'll make you something," I said dully, "hang on."

Natsu grinned and strolled over to the small dining table to sit down. I dug some eggs and bacon out of the fridge, pulled a frying pan off the wall and got to work.

By the time Levy was changed I had a pile of toast on one plate, and the bacon and eggs were almost done.

Levy got some jam and butter from the fridge, setting it on the table while I dished up.

I set an empty plate in front of Happy, not entirely sure what flying cats ate apart from fish, but assuming Natsu would give him something he liked.

Natsu grinned, picking up his fork and scooping up some eggs,

"Looks awesome."

Happy jumped up on the table and sat next to his empty plate, staring at me with puss in boots eyes.

"Sorry," I said, "I haven't got any fish."

The cat's ears drooped a little but he swiped a slice of bacon from Natsu's plate.

Levy and I, having far better table manners than Natsu, started cutting up our food before taking our a bite.

Natsu and Happy started shovelling it in, Natsu halted his chewing after one bite of eggs and Happy spitting his bacon out onto the table.

"What?" I asked. "Has it gone bad? I only bought it a few days ago."

Happy stared at the mouthful of bacon, lying in a small pool of slobber on the table.

"It's all plain...Lisanna always uses transformation magic on food. She makes it super yummy!

I glared at him, then at Natsu, who determinedly swallowed his mouthful and said,

"It's great, but...I'm feeling more full then I thought."

Wondering how bad it really was I scooped up some eggs and put it in my mouth.

The food wasn't out of date, but you could tell I hadn't cooked since Spetto had taught me the basics.

Sure it was edible, but no where near the standard of Magnolia Academy's food. Compared with Lisanna and Mira's cooking, it was obvious why I was on washing up duty at the Guildhall.

Still, for people who ate so much, they were pretty damn fussy. This was just as bad as the stuff they gave us as Fairy Hills.

Natsu had the decency to clean up the bit of bacon Happy had spat out, but he left his plate full as Levy and I ate.

By the time we left the flat, he led us to the Guildhall, walking a little ways in front through the crowd of morning shoppers.

Hoping his dragon slayer hearing would be less effective while weaving through a crowd, I leant closer to Levy, whispering,

"It was edible, wasn't it?"

"...Yeah, it was...Good...but it's your house, I should cook next time."

I hung my head.

Well that's just great.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter, an additional fact coming your way :D
> 
> Sheep in the middle ages were friggen tiny; we get 7lbs of wool off them today but only got 1lb off them back then.
> 
> Hope to see ya in the next chapter :)  
> Thanks so much to everyone making my day by commenting!  
> M


	7. Lightening and Lanterns

Erza met us outside the Guildhall, her arms crossed and face set, like we were coming back from a super secret mission.

She opened the door and nodded at Natsu as he entered, beckoning us through with an urgent,

"Morning."

"Morning," Levy replied warily, walking through the door, and I gave Erza a weak wave as I followed after her.

Inside, I saw Happy jump out from under Natsu's vest, unfurling his white little wings and taking to the air.

Natsu swaggered up to the bar, clearly intending on getting something nicer to eat from Lisanna who was waving at him in her red uniform.

"Lucy?" Erza asked.

I looked around, wilting a little under Erza's gaze.

Levy nudged me jokingly,

"Still half asleep? She said Makarov wants to see us downstairs."

Erza nodded, correcting,

"Master Makarov would like to ask you about the events of yesterday evening."

"Right," I said quickly, "no problem." Erza smiled,

"I'll walk you down to his office."

Erza set off across the pub floor, Levy and I on her tail as she made her way to the stairwell leading to the swimming pool.

As we passed by the bar I looked away just in time to see Natsu lean over it, clearly about to kiss his girlfriend.

That was fine.

Okay, so it made my stomach churn a little. But I've spent years dreaming about who my soul mate might turn out to be, it's just a bit of a shock every time I see him kissing someone else.

"Erza," Levy asked, "why does everyone call Makarov 'Master'? Isn't it a bit wierd?"

Erza looked over her shoulder as she opened the door to the stairwell, frowning,

"Why would it be weird?"

I thought back to Natsu's comments when I'd been given the whip, and offered gently,

"Well it's not usually for...I mean, I've never heard anyone use that title offically before.

"He doesn't use it, Master Makarov was awarded it." Erza said, starting to descend the stairs. "Master is the title given by the magic council to the leader of an approved magical guild. It's a title he well deserves, being one of the ten wizard saints."

I looked around at Levy, but didn't find her looking confused at all. As usual, she filled me in,

"The wizard saints are the ten most powerful mages registered to the magic council. Without them and the dragons, nobody would've survived the war."

"What was the war fought over?" I asked.

Levy looked to Erza, who gave a small shrug.

"Most of the veterans are too shaken up to talk much about it. The wizard saints and the guilds fought in the outskirts, while the dragons handled the central battle."

"Why were all the dragons fighting in the centre?"

"Who knows," she said, "anyone Natsu's badgered for details have told him they were just following orders. Master Makarov doesn't know anything besides his orders from the council. He had to protect the dragons by leading his guild against the oncoming dark wizards."

Protect the dragons? But weren't they supposed to be really powerful? Why would they need protecting?

I could see Levy thinking as we reached the bottom of the second flight of steps, Erza leading us across the landing and through the door to the room full of couches.

She walked across the room, and I realised she was leading us towards a door in the corner, one I hadn't really noticed before.

She knocked on the door three times then opened it, revealing a small, office sized room, mostly filled with filing cabinets.

In the middle was desk and chair, though Makarov had decided to sit on his cluttered desk rather than an actual seat.

Gajeel was leaning against the cabinets in the corner, looking as imposing as ever. His black exceed was at his feet, looking equally as stern.

"Morning children," Makarov said with a grimace, "I shan't keep you long, but there are a few details missing from Gajeel's account that you might be able to help fill in."

I looked over at Gajeel, but he was staring at Levy, his face blank which might be his version of thoughtful.

Makarov cleared his throat and Gajeel stood up straight, muttering,

"I'm upstairs if you need me."

He crossed the room in three strides, his black cat trotting behind him. Erza nodded at Mr Makarov, then left, closing the door behind her.

"Gajeel has told me that you were attacked by two exceeds last night," Makarov said.

Levy and I nodded in confirmation, and he continued,

"From what I've found out from the council, those exceeds are believed to belong to two dragon slayers from the dark guild Sabertooth. They're a relatively large gang, but as far as we were aware they had no Guildmaster. The council seemed to think this made them less dangerous - more of a rabble who like causing trouble. Do you believe their attacking you was random?"

I reached for the pouch of keys on my belt, and pulled them out, holding up Cancer's key.

"They wanted this. I wrote a letter home a few days ago, wondering if the anyone knew anything about my Mum. The housekeeper sent Cancer's key back in a letter. I think they stole it just before it was delivered, but Cancer opened his gate before they could run off with it."

"They were after the key," Makarov said, more to himself then to me.

"Yes," I said, "but the letter told me Cancer isn't a powerful spirit. I summoned him in my apartment, and I don't think he'd be very useful at causing trouble. Not unless they used him to shave people's heads."

Makarov grimaced and looked up at me, his expression very hard.

"Have any of your spirits given any clue as to why so many zodiac keys are finding their way into your hands so quickly?"

"The zodiac spirits said they were ordered by my Mum to transfer their contracts to me, if she died. The girl who was trying to steal Virgo, she had a golden key, but Cancer said those spirits had made a contract with her because she was in danger."

Makarov sighed, but didn't look very surprised.

"I believe the girl you encountered is called Yukino Agria. I believe she was abducted by a dark guild. If this guild is Sabertooth, they might've tasked her with retrieving the rest of the zodiac's gate keys. What they might use them for, I'm not sure, but I feel we must find the rest of the zodiac as soon as possible."

Makarov descended into silent thought for a moment, clearly thinking.

After a moment, he roused himself,

"If dark guilds are searching for your keys, they are bound to attempt to take the ones you already have sooner rather than later. It would safer to take them from you, while they know you lack experience in magic. I would urge you to train yourself up Miss Heartfelia, do not let them put you in a position where you cannot defend yourself."

Makarov looked at Levy,

"I give the same advice to you Miss McGarden. As Lucy's closest friend you are unfortunately a target, especially while isolated in non-magical company at the Academy. I don't believe your school is very well equipped to defend itself from magical attack."

Levy nodded respectfully and Makarov smiled, a sense of finality in his voice.

"I'm glad that you both came out of yesterday unscathed. If you'll excuse me, I have some phone calls to make."

I nodded politely and turned to leave, but stopped as Levy blurted out,

"Master Makarov? Can I ask how many types of dragon there were before the war?"

Mr Makarov stared at Levy,

"I don't quite remember Miss McGarden. Why do you ask?"

Levy twisted her hands together nervously,

"Was there ever a celestial dragon?"

Makarov smiled but the finality in his voice hardened,

"I can confidently say that you can find everything you need to know about dragons in Fairy Tail's library."

"Yes, I checked there sir—"

"—Miss McGarden, I apologise, but I am far too busy to debate the contents of a library I have not memorised. If you children will excuse me, I must return to work."

Levy nodded politely, just the way Magnolia Academy had taught it's young ladies too, and the both of us left his office.

Levy closed the door behind us and we began walking back towards the stairs.

"D'you think that's what he told Natsu?" I asked. "To look in the library?"

Levy shook her head,

"If he did, Natsu wouldn't have found anything. I'll show you; I'll get the book, you get to work."

* * *

Levy and I climbed the rest of the stairs in silence, parting ways once we were back on the ground floor of the Guildhall.

I climbed the stairs to the changing rooms, my uniform waiting for me on a hanger.

I'd found a clip in my room last night, and by attaching it to my belt with a loop of material, I found a way to attach my whip to my belt. Clipping it on the side not holding my keys, I put the belt over my uniform, and hurried downstairs.

As I walked behind the bar I spotted Levy at the end of it, talking to Lisanna and nervously tapping the cover of a book. I drew level with them, just in time to hear Levy asking,

"And you're sure? Jet and Droy told me he used to be in a dark guild...?"

Lisanna waved a hand at her,

"That's cause he was undercover, spying on Phantom Lord."

Wondering how this was related to dragons I asked,

"Who are we talking about?"

Levy looked up, a little of the research-manic spark in her eye gone.

"Gajeel," Lisanna said, "he's been staring at Levy since you two walked through the door."

I looked over Levy's head.

Gajeel was sat in one of the back booths, looking at the table morosely like he was doing some very serious thinking.

"He was doing that in Mr Makarov's office, but I thought he was just staring into space. He does that a lot at school and it's pretty creepy."

Gajeel looked up and met my eyes at that moment.

With a jolt I wondered if dragon slayer hearing was good enough to pick up my words across the roaring crowd.

"The book—" I said suddenly, "—something important in it?" Levy nodded, her mind still clearly somewhere else as she opened it.

She riffled through the pages, stopping near the end and pointed at the middle, where the pages were bound together. Several jagged strips of paper showed pages had been ripped out.

"According to the index," she explained, "the missing pages were meant to contain every dragon registered by the magic council."

"Who would rip them something like that out?" I asked.

"Someone who didn't want to leave the list of dragons lying around," Levy answered.

There was the sound of a chair scraping at the bar and my stomach flipped over, looking up at a shock of pink hair.

"What's this about lists of dragons?" Natsu asked.

Levy pushed the book along the bar for Natsu to see,

"Did you ever read these missing pages?"

Natsu frowned down at the book,

"I think so…? I vaugely remember Dad showing me his entry, but I was only, like, six at the time."

Levy pulled the book back towards her, scowling.

Natsu frowned up at me and Lisanna,

"So why d'ya want to know about dragons?"

Lisanna looked at me, apparently having not aware of Levy's celestial dragon epiphany.

Before I could say anything Gray had walked past, grabbing Natsu's scarf and tugging him backwards off his barstool.

Natsu let out a yell as Gray strutted away casually. He turned around as Natsu leapt up, running across the pub and launching himself at Gray, undoubtably shouting something about stripping and ice cubes.

I was only half listening, Lisanna tapping me on the arm and whispering,

"I'm gonna do it this weekend."

Levy looked up from the book, a serious expression on her face, but I looked at her blankly.

"I'm going to tell Natsu about my soul mark," Lisanna clarified.

"Oh..." I said dumbly, all thoughts on dragons leaving my mind.

Lisanna bit her lip nervously,

"I thought I'd do it at the festival of lights, the one to celebrate the clocks moving forwards? The lanterns and romance might take the edge off a bit, y'know?"

"Oh." I said again, not really sure how to react. "That's great. Levy and I were gonna go see some of it after my shift...might see you there?"

She nodded cheerfully and turned as Mira shouted a food order over the crowd.

I fiddled with my necklace absentmindedly. Aquarius didn't inspire much of a feeling of comfort, not now that I'd met her, so I slipped my free hand into my pouch of keys.

"Open," I said quietly, clutching Plue's key, "gate of the little dog. Nikora."

In accordance with the level of my voice, the usual clanging of doorbell was very quiet, and a puff of smoke appeared on the bar top next to Levy.

It cleared to reveal Plue, waving at me and trembling on the spot. He looked about as anxious as I felt.

* * *

The week running up to the festival seemed to drag by impossibly slowly. I spent most of my time thinking up ways Natsu could take Lisanna's news.

Erza said he wouldn't take the news well, hell I'd be furious if the tablets were turned. But I didn't like the thought of either of my friends feelings getting hurt.

Lisanna was so lovely, and Natsu was...Natsu. I didn't know whether I liked him so much because he was my soul mate, or because he was just a cool person. He was a good friend. I hadn't had many of those before Levy.

At school, while Lisanna was busy doing lunchtime clubs, Natsu usually ended up talking to me, but it didn't do a whole lot of good for my nerves.

The thought of laughing at his jokes now, knowing he'd hate my guts in less than a weeks time, made me feel guilty just sitting next to him.

Still, talking to him kept Natsu from antagonising Gray, which Erza was pleased about. She wasn't around to keep an eye on them every lunch time,- her fencing club was training for a match against a nearby school.

Every evening after school, while Lisanna and I chatted away in the kitchen, I could feel we were both nervous, despite the festival being a week away. A few days away.

I was on edge all of Friday night. Lisanna had gone off sick, and I half wondered if she was thinking about not telling Natsu after all. I couldn't decide if I wanted to postpone it or not.

Levy lifted my spirits a little, coming down to the Guildhall after her last class, and I spent my breaks watching her expriment.

Jet and Droy had agreed to be her test subjects, playing a role in who knows what research, both eager as anything to prove they were the best.

I noticed Gajeel watching from over in a corner, and either he didn't approve or he had the worst case of resting bitch face I've ever seen.

Jet and Droy were far more interested in being guinea pigs then I'd been, probably because one of them would win sooner or later, unlike their constant attempt to outdrink each other.

That said, Elfman dropped by every half an hour to mention how manly they looked, and they had to break to order a shot.

By the end of my shift, both were collapsed in a heap on the floor. Levy was writing in a notepad and asking them questions, somehow deciphering answers out of drunken groans.

As we left so late, Gajeel accompanied us back to my apartment.

Levy slept on the couch so we could go straight to Fairy Tail in the morning, dragging me out the apartment the next morning so I'd be on time for my shift. I'd never dreaded going to the Guildhall before, but the thought of seeing Natsu made me feel queasy with nerves.

It was ridiculous of course, I wasn't even the one confessing about the soul marks. But the thought of having my soul mate hate me was almost worse than him not knowing I exist.

Work positively dragged by. Mira and I worked mostly in silence, and I stayed in the kitchen all day with Natsu and Lisanna doing homework at the bar.

Mira being aware about Lisanna's situation, meant that neither of us talked much, mostly exchanging anxious smiles as the day went on.

When I did try for some conversation, I asked Mira how I'd go about training with magic, as Mr Makarov had suggested.

Mira suggested doing some low level constant magic, to help increase my magical stamina. I guessed this meant, where celestial spirit summoning was concerned, using a silver key for a while, and summoning Plue was a good decision.

He was nervous looking, sure, but he was fluffy and very cute. His smile raised my mood a bit, and he looked adorable when he started dancing and singing (if you can call saying 'puu-puu' a lot, singing).

Most of the guild filtered out in the evening for the lantern parade, and thankfully Lisanna and Natsu were one of the first to leave.

I was serving out food and drinks when the Guildhall door opened, and expecting Natsu or Lisanna, I looked up.

It wasn't anyone from Fairy Tail, instead it was boy I recognised from school - typical goth with black lipstick and skinny jeans. I think he sat next to me in chemistry. Whoever he was he must be magical, otherwise he wouldn't make it past Freed's boundry.

He walked up to me looking nervous, a ribbon wrapped box in his hands.

"Hi," I said cheerfully, wracking my brains for his name.

"Lucy, hi," the boy held out the box, "one of my friends asked me to give this to you. He said he's had a crush on you for ages. He heard you worked here, and was gonna come ask you out, but I knew he wouldn't be able to get past Fairy Tail's barrier so I offered to bring you this. It's cake. It was the best way I could could ask you out for him, so, yeah."

I smiled at him, taking the box and feeling really, really awkward not being able to remember his name.

"That's so sweet," I said, "who's the friend I have to thank?"

"Null. He's in your History class?"

The boy waited for some sort of recognition to dawn on my face.

Null...I vaguely remember a very chubby boy sitting a few rows behind me.

Very quiet, face so pudgy it was almost purple. He came off a bit stupid.

Seeming to know what I was thinking the boy grimaced,

"I know he's not that great, but he really likes you. Obviously he can't come in here, but I know it'd mean a whole lot to him if you thanked him for the cake tonight. He's waiting for me out by the Magnolia Tree."

I checked my watch. I still had an hour of work to go, but I hadn't taken my break yet.

"You don't have to come," the boy said, looking very guilty, "I'll just...I'll tell him..."

He hesitated, trying to think up an excuse, but I waved my hand reassuringly,

"Course I'll come say thanks. I'll just tell Mira where I'm going."

"Thanks, I'll go tell him you're coming."

I smiled and tucked the cake box under my arm, the boy leaving as I walked back to the bar.

I put my serving tray on the top then slipped into the kitchen, seeing Mira stirring something on the stove.

"Do you mind if I take my break?" I asked her. "I've just got to pop out for five minutes."

The look on her face told me she thought this was Natsu related.

"Of course," she said, "take as much time as you need, I'll be here."

I grinned in thanks and walked back into the bar. Levy was so engrossed in her book I didn't want to bother her, see wouldn't miss me for five minutes.

With the cake box in hand, I headed for the door of the Guildhall, stepping outside into the lantern lit street.

Lisanna was right, the festival was very romantic.

Beautiful lanterns had been strung across the street, big ones the size of full grown people and great clusters of tiny ones that looked like stars. The crowd was thin outside the guildhall, most of the people on the street heading to the town centre, towards the wonderful smells of cooking food.

I followed suit, slipping into the crowd at the town centre, and weaving in and out of people.

With a jolt in my stomach I saw a flash of pink hair over the crowd.

He wasn't alone. Lisanna was holding his hand, nibbling on a corndog as Natsu stuffed two in his mouth at once.

Had she told him yet?

They both looked happy, but maybe that's what would happen once the secret was out. Natsu would know she loved him if she changed her soul mark to be with him, and Lisanna would get what she wanted.

Trying not to clutch the cake box too tightly I looked away from them, heading towards the Magnolia tree, which was was at the very centre of town.

It took barely a minute for the tree to come into sight, and it looked magical.

I stepped out onto the grass square where it'd been planted, couples scattered about having picnics, the light from the tree behind them glowing brighter than the lanterns in the street.

The branches had been decked out in fairy lights of different colours, making making it look like the leaves were shining in a rainbow.

The bright light showed that the purple faced boy was sitting beneath the tree, talking with his goth friend, their backs leaning against the trunk.

Weaving between the sappy couples I walked over to them, the purple faced boy Null standing up as I reached them.

I lifted the cake up with a smile, and I almost got out the word thank you before something wrapped around my waist like a snake, tighting so fast it forced all the air out of my lungs.

I let out a breathy yelp as I was yanked up into the branches of the magnolia tree, the cake box falling from my hands as I tugged at whatever had wrapped itself around my waist.

It was so solid I would've said it was steel, but when I dug my gloved fingers around it it felt more like rope.

I'd barely gotten a grip on it burnt me, becoming as hot as red metal in less than a second, burning holes in my gloves and dress.

I let out a yell, and the heat faded instantly, my skin burning as I looked down at what had ahold of me.

Thick, red, human looking hair was wrapped around my waist, the end of it dancing in front of my face like some bizzare kind of creature.

"Hey there blondie," said a gravelly voice.

I twisted, looking over my shoulder, and seeing the red head from the bathroom sat on a tree branch behind me.

Her long red hair seemed to have grown another 20 ft, and was holding me up as effortlessly, wrapping tightly around my waist to try and hold me still as I began to wriggle.

Not daring to touch the hair for fear of more burning, I reached for my pouch of keys, but my fingers met only hair which burned savagely.

The hair curled around the pouch, pulling at it like it was trying to rip them off my belt.

"No!" I yelled, my burnt hand going for the whip on my other side of my waist.

I ripped it free, forcing magic through my hand, and saw the long rope of water shoot out the handle, golden light wrapped around it like barbed wire.

I swung it backwards at the redhead, who shrieked, her hair recoiling so that I fell through the air.

I landed on my feet, pain shooting up through my ankles from the height of the fall, my whip receeding back into the handle as I caught sight of couples staring at me.

Not able to use my keys in public I ran, making it halfway to the edge of the grass square before something hot snaked around my ankle, yanking it out from under me.

The hands I threw out to break my fall didn't get there in time, and I fell painfully on my face, my whip rolling away from my across the grass.

Lying on my stomach I lunged for it, but the red hair around my ankle burned painfully, tugging me backwards, and I rolled over to try and get it off.

The hair seemed to have burrowed under ground, breaking through the dirt at my feet, descreetly enough that it looked like I was lying on the grass and struggling against nothing.

I reached for my keys but more hair sprouted from the ground, wrapping around my hands and wrists, burning so painfully I cried out.

People from the crowd were staring now, couples on the grass backing away as I tried to twist myself free, the hair burning through my gloves.

Teeth clenched in pain I cried,

"Open, Gate of the water bearer!"

Nothing happened.

There was no water.

"Open gate of the maiden!"

Nothing happened.

But that had worked last time?! The key wasn't in my hand but Virgo had come!

The hair had burnt through my gloves and began raising welts on my skin. I could see the redhead and her friends hiding in the shadows beneath the Magnolia tree, no one noticing them while I struggled on the ground.

I smacked it against the grass but it didn't seem sentient enough to feel pain, because it had no effect.

People that had been in the crowd were starting to come over, seeming to think this was some kind of surprise magic show, and watching in either horror or excitement. A tendril of hair arched in front of my face, weaving like a snake in front of me.

I half expected it to curl around my neck as it dived towards my neck, but instead all I felt was the chain around my neck snapping. The only piece of my Mother I'd ever been allowed to keep was snatched off me by the red hair.

I yelled, half in agony, half in anguish, and there was a deafening sound of a doorbell.

White spirit smoke billowed around me, and I felt dust falling away where the hair had been wrapped around my ankle and hands. I scrambled to my feet, blood pumping in my ears, my gloves hanging off as I felt for the pouch of keys at my waist.

"MY HAIR!" Screamed the red head, her voice ringing out from beneath tree. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY HAIR?!"

My skin felt like it was glowing hot in the cold night air, and I felt relief soar through me as I stuck my fingers into the pouch on my waist and felt my keys.

The crowd parted, and I saw Null and his goth friend running towards me.

"Open!" I cried, clutching Virgo's key tightly, "Gate of the Maiden!"

There was a puff of smoke around me and the sound of a doorbell, but the usual greeting of 'Princess' didn't come.

I looked around.

Virgo herself hadn't appeared, but her clothes had.

My red uniform and gloves were gone, replaced by Virgo's black dress, apron, and the shackles she wore around her wrists. My hair had been drawn up into two pony tails, and raising my hand I felt her maid's bonnet clipped on the top of my head.

Raising my hand had drawn my attention to my skin, which look like it'd been spattered with gold glitter. It was sparkling, less like glitter, more like tiny fairy lights.

The crowd gasped, a few people cheering, and turning around I saw my transformation wasn't the reason.

Three people had jumped over the crowd, falling like superheroes behind me.

Natsu with his fists on fire; Gray topless and clutching a spear of ice; Erza with a sword in each hand, dressed in armour that made her look an avenging angel.

I turned back to the boys running at me, seeing the red head flicking her hair forwards, an object flying out from it.

The boys from school skidded to a halt as the cake box flew through the air, dropping onto the grass between us.

It exploded into what must've been fifty different fire works, all going off at the same time, at ground level, deafening and blinding everyone in the vicinity brilliantly.

I barely heard the crowd cheering.

As soon as the fireworks had gone off, it felt like every scrap of energy I had was ripped from me, absorbed by the glitter on my skin that took to the air. I think I saw it sailing towards the fireworks, but my vision had gone a little blurry.

I fell to my knees, my Mother's voice suddenly echoing inside my head,

"Lucy! Lucy concentrate!"

She was yelling,

"Lucy your magic is fuelling the fireworks! Close your core off!"

Why could I hear her voice? This wasn't a memory. It was like she was speaking in my ear.

The fireworks seemed to glow brighter.

"BRAT!"

Aquarius. That was Aquarius' voice.

"WHAT THE HELL DID I TELL YOU ABOUT LOOSING MY KEY?!"

An image of Aquarius' angry face, flashed in front of me, her eyes boring into mine, making me want to shrink away.

The lights in front of me died, all at once.

I fell back on my ankles, my eyes screwed up, still trying to lean away from Aquarius and the yelling that would no doubt follow in seconds.

But it didn't come.

I heard clapping around me.

There were warm hands placed on both of my shoulders

I opened my eyes.

Pink hair, freckles, I knew that face. I saw their mouth opening and closing like they were talking, but there was a ringing in my ears blocking the sound.

I screwed up my eyes, my hand going to my necklace but finding it gone.

"Aquarius," I said, tapping the place where her key usually lay, "my necklace, she..."

One of the hands on my shoudlers left, and I felt a chain with two keys being pressed into my palm.

I felt a wave of relief crash over me as I used both hands to hold the keys, pressing them into the burns on my palms, the pain reassuring me that they were safe.

My senses seemed to be coming back to me a little, though noise was floating in and out, I looked up.

Natsu was knelt down in front of me, the crowd applauding as Erza made some kind of announcement a few feet away.

Grey was standing behind her, and a gaggle of Fairy Tail members seemed to have arrived, standing with him.

I looked back at Natsu, wanting to say thank you, but for the second time that night the words died in my throat as all the air seemed to leave my lungs.

Natsu was staring at the back of my hand. My right hand.

He looked up at me.

His eyes were hard, boring into mine. It was a look halfway between horror and understanding.

Had I been more with it, I would've tried to say something, but all I could do was feel a rush of emotion as he got to his feet.

I cleared my throat, my voice weak as I called out,

"Natsu?" I said, my voice weak, my vision swaying a little.

Natsu didn't turn around, walking back to towards the rest of the guild.

I saw someone with short white hair in the group of guild members, turning to watch Natsu stride across the grass.

Lisanna's eyes met mine, and I helt up my exposed soul mark.

She went pale. She hadn't told him.

Natsu's fists erupted in flames and he broke into a run, jumping into the air as he reached the edge of the Fairy Tail group.

Laxus, who was standing on the edge of the group, turned at exactly the wrong moment, and what would've been a punch to his jaw broke his nose.

The entire guild scattered.

Lisanna sprinted over to me, the rest of Fairy Tail running to border the crowd, holding them back at a safe distance.

Lisanna looped her arms around my waist and tried to pull me backwards, but her arms pressed directly over burnt skin and I cried out.

Lisanna let go of me and I lay limply on the floor, my eyes watering with the pain.

"Lucy we've got to move," she said, not knowing how to tug me off the battle field without hurting me.

I was too weak to do more than open my eyes, watching as Laxus looked down Natsu like he was something stuck to the bottom of his shoe.

A voice I recognised as Max from Fairy Tail yelled out,

"AND NOW FOLKS, ANOTHER QUICK DEMONSTRATION OF OUR MAGICAL SHOW FIGHTING! THE SALAMANDER VERSES THE LEADER OF THE THUNDER LEGION."

There was the rumbling of thunder clouds in the sky up above, and I could smell burning as Natsu and Laxus flew at one another.

Lightening cracked down onto the ground from the clouds, the bright white light showing Natsu was looking different from usual. His skin had grown a collection of red scales, across his cheeks forearms, calves and chest. They seemed to act like armour as Laxus threw lightening laden attacks.

Though his white scarf was unharmed, Natsu's clothes had holes burned through them by Laxus' attacks.

Natsu couldn't seem to land a fiery punch on anything except Laxus' cloak, and he was taking punches laden with lightening without been blown off his feet. His scales deflected most of the lightening onto the ground, burning the grass instead of Natsu, and Laxus kept increasing the amount in an attempt to hit him.

Laxus seemed to grow irritated, his lightening was growing brighter and becoming more frequent. Natsu's scales began deflectign the lightening further and further away from the two of them, and Lisanna made another attempt to pull me away.

I caught the split second flash of lightening striking two feet from me, heard Lisanna's scream, and felt what could've been a small train slamm into my stomach.

My whole body locked up as I was thrown across the ground, and everything went black as I rolled over cold grass.

* * *

My brain felt like it was buzzing.

I could feel soft sheets on top of me. Virgo's clothes had gone, replaced by soft pyjamas. All my muscles felt numb, but I recognised the dull warmth of pain medication. It was the same relaxing feeling the hospital's drugs had given me, back when I'd broken my leg.

"ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED!"

Mr Makarov was yelling, his voice muffled slightly, as if on the other side of a door.

"THE EXPOSURE OF MAGIC, NEAR DEATH OF A GUILDMATE, AND A DARK GUILD RUNNING RIFE IN THE STREETS! ALL IN ONE NIGHT! I'LL BE SURPRISED IF THE COUNCIL DOESN'T DISBAND US!"

I opened my eyes.

The ceiling I was staring at was lit by a soft green light.

"Lucy?"

Wendy's face swam above me, her hands glowing green. Maybe her healing magic was what was making me feel medicated?

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

"Like death warmed up I expect," someone snapped.

I blinked heavily, not wanting to turn my head but looking around.

I couls just about see a woman standing at the bottom of my bed. She looked very old, her hair as pink as Natsu's, and she was holding a clipboard.

"Makarov!" She shouted. "Get in here! She's awake!"

I heard the door open and hurried footsteps.

Makarov wasn't tall enough to be seen without me moving my head, and I didn't feel like doing that just yet, but I heard his voice fine.

"Lucy? How do you feel?"

I heard what I thought was the pink haired woman whacking him,

"How'd you expect her to feel you idiotic old man?!"

I saw the woman walk away from my bed, huffing dissaprovingly and beginning to rattle around pill bottles.

"Don't mind Porlyusica," Wendy said under her breath, "she cares really. She just has a bit of a temper."

"I heard that!" Porlyusica screeched. Wendy grinned sheepishly.

"Where am I?" I asked.

"Fairy Tail's private infirmary," Makarov answered, "and I'm sorry to disturb you Lucy but, yet again, I must ask you a few questions."

Porlyusica popped her head into view again, a sour look on her face.

"Nearly dying doesn't even stop you from asking questions?! Really?!"

Makarov didn't answer her, and after a few seconds, I realised he was waiting for me to speak.

I managed to reel off all that had happened, telling him all I knew about the three people from School.

I had to pause a lot, my throat being very dry, but at the end of my story I felt Makarov pat my hand.

"Thank you Lucy, that is most helpful. I'll need to let the council know straight away."

There was the pattering of footsteps, and the door opened then closed.

"Wendy?" Said a voice that made my stomach drop. "Could you give us a moment?"

Wendy looked down at me, clearly wondering whether I'd want to talk to him.

I gave her a reassuring smile and though she frowned disapprovingly she got up.

Still not moving my head, I saw her walk around the bed and out of sight, coming back into view and dragging Porlyusica by the hand.

"Five minutes!" Porlyusica warned me. "You need rest!"

"Yes Maam," I replied, watching as Natsu walked into view.

He sat down in the seat Wendy had vacated, and as the door closed an awkward silence settled over the both of us.

Clearly having listened to the story I told Mr Makarov, Natsu broke the silence to ask,

"When did that girl shove your head in a toilet?"

"...First day at school she tried to steal my bag." I smiled a little at the memory. "Aquarius took care of her."

With a pang I realised I couldn't feel the chain around my neck and despite the pain I turned my head to look for it.

My vision wobbled a bit, but I saw Natsu pick something off my bedside table.

"She's here," he said, "don't worry."

I breathed a sigh of relief, a little taken aback when I felt Natsu warm hand on mine. He turned the hand bearing my pink soul mark over, and gently lay the broken necklace in my hand, the two keys lying on the bedspread so as not to touch my burns.

Natsu drew back a little, looking down at his lap as he said,

"Levy thinks Aquarius self-summoned and took a lot of the lightening blast. She said you were so low on magical power, you wouldn't have surived otherwise."

As always with Aquarius' hero moves, I wasn't quite sure whether to be glad or anxious about this. I decided to change the subject,

"What happened? I couldn't call any spirits...I tried Aquairus and Virgo...then just before you showed up there was the summoning sound, but no spirits came...my skin went all glittery and my uniform had..." I stopped, not really wanting to say outloud that my clothes had been replaced by a maid outfit.

"Levy thinks dragon force changed your summoning tehcnique, so you took on the the power and clothes of the spirit you tried to summon." Natsu was still looking at his lap, seemingly reeling off information,

"The thing in that cake box, it was some artefact made to pull out all your magic power. She thinks your magic resisted it at first, which was why you couldn't summon any spirits. Your magic was limiting its output, and summoing zodiac spirits was temporarily made impossible. When you broke through with dragon force, the connection you made by carrying the artifact was still present. It started absorbing your magic power, which once drained exploded in those fireworks."

I frowned but it hurt so I stopped.

"When you say...dragon force..." Natsu scratched his forearm absentmindedly,

"It's a kind of defence, it usually comes out when a dragon slayer gets really riled up. Mine comes up in red scales."

I sighed dully, closing my eyes,

"Dragon slayer? She's still going on about that?"

"It makes a little sense," Natsu mumbled, "from what she told me."

"Sounds like you had a nice chat with Levy."

Natsu rubbed the back of his neck nervously,

"No, I got a nice lecture about what she thought happened, what exactly I was supposed to tell you, and how exactly I should apologise for starting a fight that nearly killed you."

I sighed,

"You were angry...it's not your fault I didn't get out the way..."

Natsu looked up at me with a distinctly un-Natsu like expression. He looked older, and serious for a change.

"I started a fight that nearly killed a Guild mate. Like Gramps said, that makes it completely my fault."

I smiled at him weakly,

"...Well, either way...I'm sorry for not telling you. Sorry that Lisanna chickened out of it too..."

Natsu frowned,

"Sorry for almost killing you - I think mine sounds worse." I laughed a little,

"I'll get over it soul-bestie." Natsu frowned at me, clearly angry with himself,

"You shouldn't get over it. Nearly killing someone isn't something I want to be forgiven for." I smirked,

"Wow, so I survived that just so you could reject my forgiveness? I thought we were friends?"

"No, I mean—"

"I know what you mean." I said, reaching out the hand clutching my broken necklace, and nudging his leg comfortingly. "I guess, if you really want to make it up to me, you could steal some of Erza's strawberry shortcake..."

Natsu paled a little but stood up.

He took a breath as if to steel himself and I suddenly realised he was going to do exactly as I'd asked.

"I'm kidding! Don't! She'd kill you, and that'd totally steal my thunder."

Natsu cracked a small smile, looking around as the door banged open.

Porlyusica's crisp voice flooded the room,

"You've had ten minutes! Now get out before I set Wendy on you!"

Wendy strode into view looking very stern.

To Natsu's credit, he gave her the same scared look he'd give an angry Erza, and hurriedly left the room.

* * *

After Natsu left I slept through till Sunday lunchtime.

My muscles were aching horribly in the morning, and I had blisters wherever that redhead's hair had been, but I had a feeling they'd be a lot worse if it wasn't for Wendy's magic.

Still, I didn't have as much energy as I'd have liked to properly handle Lisanna when she dropped in. She'd come up with a tray of Mira's home cooking, but the food went cold since she spent most of her visit in tears. It probably didn't help that she and Natsu had broken up after all.

She was sorry about just about everything. She was sorry she'd backed out of telling Natsu, sorry she'd been selfish in asking me to keep the secret, and sorry she was such a lousy friend. She was sorry she hadn't been fast enough to come to the rescue like Natsu, Gray and Erza, and sorry she hadn't been hit by the lightening instead of me, and sorry she was crying so loudly when I was the one recovering in a hospital bed.

Mira ended up coming in after half an hour to escort her out.

Levy, waiting outside for her turn, came in as they left, dropping by before Gajeel took her back to the Academy. Sunday curfew was in a few hours but she stayed to chat as long as she could, thankfully doing most of the talking. I was exhausted after comforting Lisanna.

She, and apparently the rest of the guild, hadn't forgiven Natsu for the accidental attempt on my life.

To be fair, that was probably because if they were mad at Laxus he'd fry to a crisp. That said, Laxus hadn't been seen around the guild since the incident.

After tales of the Guild, I perservered through more of Levy's 'your mother was a dragon' rants.

"Makarov is avoiding all my questions of course," she said, "he claims that the information about the battle seven years ago is confidential. Apparently, despite the war having been over for seven years, the council haven't released an official statement yet."

"How's the council covering up the magic in town?" I asked, diverting the conversation. "Surely someone must realise it's not natural for people to beat each other up with fire and lightening?"

Levy tilted her head,

"Well, they weren't pleased, but there's a lot less damage to public property than usual, so that's a plus. They've basically said that Fairy Tail's disguise as a bar is a side business now. Our main purpose to the outside world, is an illusion based performing arts group. We've been roped into Magnolia's Halloween parade. They mayor thinks our 'illusions' will be great for tourism."

"Perfect for Gray," I joked, "he strips from his friends, now he gets to do it in front of a whole crowd. He'll probably get money thrown at him."

Levy didn't look quite so amused,

"Yeah, but Juvia will be watching while girls throw money as an excuse to stare at him."

I closed my eyes,

"Jeeze, forget property damage, she's gonna kill anyone in the crowd who breathes near 'Grey-sama'."

Levy grinned, looking around as the door opened.

Gajeel stood in the doorway,

"Ready to go shrimp?"

I looked from him to Levy, waiting for an explanation.

"Gajeel's walking me home," Levy said, "there's bound to be dark guild members still hanging around."

Gajeel gave me a brief nod then walked out into the corridor.

"Yeah I know he's walking you home," I said, "what I didn't know was Shrimp is an offical nickname.

Levy shrugged,

"I dunno, I think he just forgot my name."

"Romantic." I said jokingly.

Levy blanched, taking me completely seriously,

"There's nothing romantic about making sure I don't get attacked on the way home."

I nodded doggedly, grinning at the news of a badly hidden crush,

"Course not. So you've got nicknames, he stares at you from across the room. He doesn't carry your books does he? Big strong man like that?"

Levy didn't answer, hilariously red in the face as she walked out the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter, let's have another fact :)
> 
> The Slovakian and Slovenian embassies in Washington DC meet once a month to exchange wrongly addressed mail.
> 
> Thanks so much to everyone who's reviewed  
> Hope to see you in the next chapter!  
> M


	8. The Dragon of Souls

I stayed in the infirmary till Monday afternoon, but after four hours of lying there, I asked Porlyusica if I could leave.

I still felt drained, more so then when I'd passed out from summoning Taurus. In my four hours of lying in bed, I came to the conclusion that that might be because I'd conciously used my magic to summon Taurus, while the artifact disguised as cake had dragged the magic out of me.

The welts burnt into my skin by the redhead's hair were bandaged and very sore under my clothes, but I felt fairly steady on my feet which was the main thing.

Feeling exhausted, I left the infirmary, coming out at the top of a staircase. I guessed the infirmary took up one of the upper floors above the pub.

I made it down to pub level just as the Guildhall's front doors opened, and Wendy, Lisanna, and Erza came in. Wendy was in a different school uniform to the other two, not yet old enough for high school, and the dark circles under her eyes made her look as tired as I felt.

I sat down on the nearest bench and they all walked over to me.

"You alright?" I asked Wendy.

She yawned,

"I'm fine. Not used to using this much healing magic...I'm gonna go take a nap."

Erza patted her lightly on the head and Wendy sloped away towards the stairs that led down to the dorms. Lisanna gave me a watery kind of smile,

"I've got to get to work. Glad to see you up and around Lucy."

"Thanks," I said, watching her go.

The thought occured to me that the soul mark under her school tights would be different now. I wonder what it looked like.

"How are you feeling?" Erza asked, taking a seat next to me.

"Better," I answered, watching as she got a folder out of her bag and handed it to me.

"I'm glad to hear it. This is the homework I collected from your teachers. They offered the whole week's worth but I didn't know when you'd be coming back to school."

"I'm going back tomorrow, I don't want to miss too much."

Erza nodded, taking some of her own homework out, and saying,

"You'll be glad to know that Flare Corona and her accomplices didn't turn up for lessons today."

I frowned, the name not ringing a bell.

"The person who attacked you on Saturday," Erza clarified.

I wanted to be pleased about this news but the burns on my ankle, hands, wrists and waist burnt too much to be too pleased.

"Erza," I said, voicing something I'd been thinking about in the infirmary, "can I ask you something?"

Erza put her pen down and turned more fully towards me.

"I'll understand if you say no," I said quickly, "but I was just thinking. I've got to practise with my magic if I'm going to get any better, but I don't really know how I can push myself without passing out. I know you've got a really good training regime. Is there any chance you could coach me? Of even give me a few tips, I'm just a bit lost on where to start."

Erza looked down at the table, clearly thinking,

"I don't have any matches coming up for fencing," she looked up at me, "how about I try and teach you a few things over lunchtimes?"

"You sure it wouldn't be a hassle?" Erza smiled,

"Of course not. It's been quite a while since I had a friendly spar with someone."

* * *

"You asked Erza WHAT?!"

Natsu was sat next to me in the lunchhall, his fork clattering down on his tray as he dropped it in disbelief.

"I asked Erza if she could help me train." I repeated. "It's not like there are any other celestial wizards to learn from, and I've got to start doing something."

"What you're doing is a baptism by fire," he said, "and not in a good way!"

Erza, sitting at the other end of the table, let out a sigh,

"Natsu, I'm obviously not going to go all out with Lucy. I'm just helping her get an idea of her limits and making suggestions about her technique."

This statement was a half truth, as I found out when we left to go change into sports clothes.

I knew she might be a bit of a drill sergeant, but I didn't expect a surprise attack outside the door of the changing rooms.

I also didn't expect her to tell me I could use my keys and whip however I liked. We were in an empty squash court, but it was still very public. Anyone walking by the observation window would probably question why an axe wielding bull-man was on school property.

Still, Erza didn't requip into any of her armour, or even withdraw a weapon. Instead she faced me formally, saying,

"Now, I've been talking to Levy." Oh god here we go. "She's under the impression that you're—"

"—A dragon slayer." Erza raised her eyebrows,

"Are you?" I shook my head,

"I don't eat anything to refuel my magic. And anyway, don't dragon slayers heal really quickly when they eat? As soon as I stepped out into the sunlight, I'd be back to normal."

Erza frowned,

"Levy was saying that the sunlight you absorb through your skin, though constant, can't be absorbed in any greater or lesser quantities. It'll always be absorbed at the same rate, leaving your magic to heal at the same rate."

I tried my best not to sound snotty,

"Well, none of my spirits have told me anything about being a dragon slayer."

"You asked them?"

Okay fine! Let's settle this theory once and for all.

I stuck my hand in the pouch around my waist and found Virgo's key.

"Open, gate of the maiden!"

There was the clanging of a doorbell and a plume of smoke rose beside me, Virgo appearing from it with a bow,

"Princess. How can I help?"

"Hi Virgo. Erza and I were wondering if I was a dragon slayer."

I put my hands on my hips triumphantly, smiling as Virgo replied,

"You are the celestial dragon slayer."

Wait, what? No.

"No, I'm not. One of my parents would have to be a dragon."

"Lady Layla was the Celestial dragon, Princess. Like all the dragons she was gifted with her powers at birth."

"All the dragons?" Erza asked. "Does that mean they're born with more magic, they don't need to train for it?"

Virgo shook her head,

"Magic wanted to grow and flourish in the many instead of the few. It blessed a chosen few with power far exceeding the natural magic each human possesses. As such powerful beings, they were meant to spread magic as far and wide as they could." I stared at Virgo, more than a little confused,

"You're talking of magic like it's some kind of God."

"Magic is unconcious Princess, woven into the fabric of the universe and connected to everything. It can create effects of course, for example; with the information magic gathers through its connection to everything, it assigns soul marks."

Levy would give anything to get in on this conversation, but her questions about the science of soul marks weren't as important to me as what Virgo had said about Mum.

"Virgo, if Mum was a dragon how did she end up dying? All the other dragons disappeared but she died. Why?" Virgo bowed her head a little,

"I'm sorry Princess, but I'm forbidden from answering that question directly. I can tell you that your Mother save her soul mate's son in the battle. Doing so depleted much of her magical energy. All she could do when the time came was to seal the enemy away in my realm."

"But the other dragons," Erza asked, "can you tell us what happened to them?"

Virgo closed her eyes, almost as if she was listening to instructions in her ear.

When she opened them again, she addressed Erza directly.

"I'm afraid all I can tell you, is that they were part of a spell to bind Acnologia—"

Virgo suddenly dissapeared, cut off mid sentence and vanishing in a puff of smoke.

Clearly the person in her ear thought she'd said too much. She'd certainly said enough to make my stomach drop through the floor.

Acnologia. That was the name on my other wrist. The one Levy had laughed off as a head cold.

I looked over at Erza, my stunned expression reflected in her face.

"That name," I said, "Acknologia. It was one of the names that appeared on my birthday."

Erza looked at me sharply,

"Which one?"

"Natsu's name was on one wrist, so it must be the enemy. That's the second time I've ever heard that name."

Erza pursed her lips,

"I'll have to make a report to Master Makarov when I get back."

She threw out her arms, so suddenly I expected an attack, but she seemed to just be requipping very dramatically.

Erza's body glowed gold, her sports clothes vanishing in the place of the armour she worn at Everlue's mansion. Dress in a chest plate, blue skirt, and boots, she raised a hand, clearly considering which weapon to pick out.

"Natsu," I said, "surely we should go and tell him, Gajeel, and Wendy what Virgo just said? It means their parents are alive."

Erza shook her head.

"That can wait. If what Virgo said is true, and that name did appear on your wrist, I believe I'm going to have to start making these training sessions compulsory. If Acknologia was the one that the dragons fought last time, and if he's your mortal enemy, you're going to need all the training you can get."

A shape glowed in Erza's hand, dimming into what looked like a training sword.

"Besides," she said, twirling the sword around in her hand, "now that I know what I'm dealing with besides whip-play, I know well how to put a dragon slayer through their paces."

I felt the colour drain from my face.

Apart from there being dozens of other ways Erza could've referred to me using a whip, the look in her eye told me I was in for a rough lunch time - welts on my skin be damned.

* * *

Most of my blisters had ruptured by the time I'd finished training with Erza.

While I was re-bandaging them, I considered skipping my last lesson to go to bed. I knew I'd never be able to convince myself to bunk off, but it was tempting, imagining the rebellion of going to sleep a little earlier then I should.

The unconcious magic of the universe that Virgo mentioned seemed to be watching over me, because I was blessed with the chance to nap through my last lesson, the teacher putting on a documentary.

The hour of sleep sort of helped, but I didn't feel all that much better as I dragged myself to the Guildhall for work.

When I got there, I found half the pub's tables covered in cardboard boxes.

I stopped at the bar before going to change into the red uniform, flagging down a beaming Mira. She looked very excited as I pointed at the boxes,

"What are all those for?"

"Costumes and equipment for the halloween parade! Fairy Tail has to make a float for the occasion. Go over to the request board, your role and costume has been assigned to you."

Mira looked so happy I resisted the urge to groan, trying to paint a smile onto my face as I trudged over to the board.

There was a large sheet of paper tacked in the middle, listing names and jobs for the parade. Glancing down it, I saw that most of the adult portion of Fairy Tail had let parade duty fall to the kids.

Fairies; to fly over the crowd.  
-boxes 1-2  
Lucy carried by Happy  
Wendy carried by Carla  
Levy carried by Pantherlilly  
Evergreen.

Illusion Performances; shapes and effects in the sky around the float.  
-boxes 3-8  
Juvia and Gray; mass production of dry ice (equipment provided)  
Natsu and Romeo; fireworks for the finale  
Wakaba; smoke shapes  
Laxus; thunder clouds (for health and saftey reasons, no lightening under any circumstances)

Physical Transformations; for a scary performance on the float.  
-box 9  
Strauss Siblings and Erza; scary costumes  
Bickslow; ghost costumes for dolls

Float Decorations; to report to Reedus.  
-boxes 9-20  
Droy; foliage  
Laki; Structure

Checking my box number I went over to the tables, spotting a big marker drawn '1' on a box to my right.

I opened it, pulling out a meshy, shiny costume, and holding it out.

It looked like a tinker bell costume, only black and with a large pocket on the back. The pocket seemed to have a lot of holes, which made it kind of useless as a pocket, and there was something long hanging off the bottom of the costume.

I walked back up to the bar, holding the costume up to Mira,

"What's that?"

Mira looked over as I pointed at 'that'.

"It's a tail of course!"

I stared at her, then looked back at the tail.

"Mira it's a devil's tail? I thought I was meant to be a fairy? And what kind of fairy wears a black dress?" Mira grinned, not put off by my tone one bit,

"You're holding Levy's dress. Yours is blue. They're colour coded to the fur of exceed who'll be flying you around the crowd. See the pocket on the back? That's where they'll hide away, so it'll look like your flying on your own!"

"Riiiight," I said, not enitrely convinced that would make us look like fairies - more like angels with the exceed's feathered wings.

I walked back over to the box and put the black dress back, picking out the blue pile of material instead, and going upstairs to change into my red dress.

I left the fairy dress with my school uniform in the store room, strapping my belt on a little looser then usual so it wouldn't press too hard on the blisters around my waist.

Going downstairs, I walked into the kitchen, jumping in surprise as I opened the door.

"What are you doing in here?" I asked Natsu, watching him withdraw his hands from soapy water.

"Helping out," he said, Y"yu've got burns on your hands and doing the washing up would hurt."

Natsu being thoughtful was so unusual, it was almost impressive, but most of my blisters were now scabs from sparring with Erza.

I grabbed a pair of rubber gloves,

"Thanks for the offer but I can handle it. I gotta work for my wage y'know."

Natsu held out a soapy hand in protest,

"Woah I've been heating this water with my fire, rubber gloves aren't gonna cut it!" I scowled but took them off gingerly,

"Well I'll leave it half an hour then come back to it."

"Nah, I can do it," he said, looking around as the kitchen door opened and scowling at the person in the doorway.

"Look, I'm helping!" He said. "If you want me to carry her books I'll do it, but I can't think of anything else!?"

Erza folded her arms, leaning on the door to keep it from closing, a stern expression on her face.

I looked back around at Natsu,

"You can't help me by doing what I'm getting payed for, that's not how a job works."

"If it weren't for him, you might not be here to _get_ payed," Erza said.

I stared at her, a little taken aback,

"Why isn't Laxus washing dishes then?!"

"Laxus didn't start the fight," Erza said shortly, raising her eyebrows as I threw my rubber gloves onto the counter.

Natsu was beating himself up enough over me getting injured. He didn't need Erza punishing him as well, especially after breaking up with his girlfriend.

"So you're blaming Natsu for Laxus loosing control?!"

"Master Makarov thinks they were both in the wrong," Erza said, "but since Laxus isn't here to atone—"

"—Y'know what I think? I think Laxus is getting out of his share of blame because he's the guildmaster's grandson, and because he scares everyone. I'm going to have a word with Master Makarov about favouritism in his guild."

I stormed over to the door, ready and expecting to have to fight my way past, but Erza stepped aside. She held the door open for me, not quite smiling, but looking at me like she was almost pleased.

I stalked out of the kitchen and around the side of the bar, striding towards the staircase that led to Makarov's office.

Through the door, down the stairs, and into the couch room, I walked over to Makarov's office door, knocking three times.

I turned the door knob at his call of,

"Come in!"

Makarov was sitting behind his desk today, papers all over the table top and a pair of glasses on his nose. He looked so formal that for a second my anger dwindled. It was probably the result of some left over training from Magnolia Academy. Sit down, shut up, respect authority.

"Are you alright my child?" Makarov asked.

I steeled myself and stood up a little straighter,

"You need to stop punishing Natsu for fighting Laxus. Natsu told me he doesn't ever want to be forgiven for what he did, so if you ask me he's punishing himself enough. He's just broken up with the girlfriend he thought was his soul mate, and now you've told Erza to keep him under her thumb, it isn't fair! Laxus hasn't even apologised for nearly killing me!"

Makarov took off his glasses, placed them on the desk, and looked up at me calmly,

"I understand that you are angry Miss Heartfelia but Fairy Tail is a government run business. Natsu made a mistake and according to the laws laid down by the magic council, I have to punish him for it. I have done so by asking Erza to make sure he assists you in any way he can."

"But Laxus—"

"—has been banished from the guild." Makarov finished.

I fell silent for a moment, mind reeling a little to catch up with what he'd just said.

"But I saw him on the festival line up sheet?"

"Laxus' absence from the festival will be expected, as he usually does not set much regard by Fairy Tail's rules and requests. The act of nearly killing a guild member with an uncontrolled, ruthless attack, is a great offence - even if the attack had not hit you. It has resulted in his banishment from the guild. The thunder legion, Erza, Mira Jane, and yourself are the only ones aware of this. I would ask you to keep the information to yourself for now, the guild will be informed after the festival."

I realised my mouth was open and closed it. Makarov lent forwards a little,

"Erza informed me just now of some information one of your spirits let slip." I nodded silently. "Could I ask you to keep that information limited to dragon slayers only - and I suppose Miss McGarden too, if you feel bound to tell her. It is a delicate topic. The council forbade any guild members who did not fight in the war to tell anyone else about it."

I nodded again, opening my mouth to ask about Natsu's punishment but Makarov got there first.

"As the victim of Natsu's mistake, if you reject the idea of Natsu being punished, then I shall let your preference take charge. Perhaps you could tell him the news of his Father when you relieve him of his duties."

"The dragons _are_ alive then?" I asked. Makarov bowed his head,

"That I truly do not know. For seven years their wherabouts has only been theorised. The council knows nothing other then the fact that they disappeared along with Acknologia. They have not been seen since."

I nodded, paused a moment, then turned on the spot. I walked towards the door, thanking Mr Makarov as I opened it, and left his office far more quietly than I'd entered it.

How much did my spirits know about my Mum? And how much were they not telling me?

* * *

Natsu had finished the washing up when I'd gotten back to the kitchen.

He was leaning against the sink listening to Erza. By the sound of it, she was nearly done telling him about Virgo's slip up.

He didn't seem to care about the origins of magic bit, looking up as I came in and walking over to hug me.

Erza fell silent in the middle of her explination, but I was more concerned about the arms he'd wrapped loosely around my shoulders. He pulled my face into his warm chest, and I tentitively drew my arms around his waist, hugging him back.

"Thank you." He said, his voice a lot quieter then usual.

I patted him on the back, a little confused,

"What am I being thanked for?"

One of Natsu's hands lifted off my shoulders, and I had the impression he was wiping his eyes before he drew back, smiling,

"For giving me a lead about what happened to my Dad."

I smiled back at him, not sure what to say.

Natsu turned away from me, walking back over to the sink and lighting his hands on fire. He stuck them beneath the water, his flames burning beneath the bubbles as he sniffed slightly, heating up the dishwater.

"You don't have to do that," I said, walking forwards and gently pulling at one of his arms, "Makarov said you don't have to do anything for me anymore."

Natsu smiled at the soapy water,

"Nah it's okay. I want to." He looked up at me, wearing a smile so wide there were dimples in his cheeks. "Besides, I gotta repay you somehow, don't I?"

"Well, in that case," I said, turning around and almost flinching with surprise as I saw Erza still standing there.

All thoughts of joking about stealing her strawberry shortcake vanished. I wasn't that stupid.

* * *

Saturday evening marked Magnolia's Halloween parade.

I felt like most of my magic had recharged, or refilled, or whatever, and it was a little comforting knowing that if I had to fight I could.

I'd been sparring with Erza most lunchtimes, and though the scabs from my burns were healing I had to cover over a few bruises with make up before putting on blue body glitter.

The 'fairies' were changing into their costumes in the store room. Bare foot in the ridiculous tinker bell dresses, we had to put on so much glitter I knew I'd still see specs of it around the Guild and my apartment this summer.

Happy was very grumpy when I called him over, but Carla looked slightly relieved to be free of his company.

Both of them were wearing fairy wings either side of their real wings, hiding their feathers and making us look more 'realistic'.

The pocket on the back of our dresses had a zip I hadn't noticed before, and Evergreen (who could apparently fly by herself) came over to zip Happy in.

I watched as Pantherlilly jumped on Levy's back, perfectly content to sit there and chat with her.

Happy was mumbling under his breath, probably about the fact that he was zipped in with his rucksack on. I couldn't carry my keys and whip on me, and it was the only way I could take them with me.

I reached a hand over my shoulder and stroked his head,

"Cheer up Happy. I'll buy you some fish from one of the stools when this is over."

Happy huffed,

"I'm gonna need a whole lot of fish after carrying you for so long. Do you realise how heavy you are?" I narrowed my eyes,

"You're just saying that cause humans are bigger then cats."

"No," Happy grumbled, "you're just a really heavy human."

I heard him giggling as I reached behind me, trying and failing to swat him on the head.

The door banged open, and I almost shrieked as I saw Erza in the doorway, practically unrecognisable in her costume.

She was wearing her black winged armour and had put a white wig over her scarlet hair. She'd painted her face black, and layered white face paint on top so she looked like a well armoured zombie.

"Show time Fairies!" she called, either ignoring or oblivious to Evergreen's dramatic groan.

* * *

Laxus, as Makarov predicted, wasn't there to answer his name when Mira did a role call. No one suspected anything of it.

Reedus' team had designed the float like an over grown graveyard.

Gray, Natsu, Juvia, and Romeo were hidden inside the float, two of them making fog appear around the graves, two of them ready beside the fireworks.

On the float's grave yard, members had to leer at the crowd in monstrous forms, and Erza for one looked like she was having the time of her life.

Mira Jane looked terrifying, like some kind of succubus combined with a knight of hell. Elfman had taken on the appearance of a massive monster. Lisanna, who didn't really have scary in her arsenal, had been excused last minute. I had a feeling her ducking out was mostly to do with her not wanting to be so close to Natsu, rather than being physically unable to transform into something scary.

Wakaba's smoke shapes began puffing out the end of the float like smoke from an exhaust, only his smoke formed into the shape of skulls, skeletons, and grinning pumpkin faces.

As the float got going, we took off, Happy making straining sounds as he lifted me into the air. I tried not to look too sour as Carla and Pantherlilly rose easily beside us, Evergreen taking the lead.

The three of us flew around the Fairy Tail's float and over the crowd, waving to the cheering crowd. I found flying pretty exhilarating if I blocked out Happy's constant complaining and insults.

Once we'd made a circuit around Magnolia's town centre, Natsu and Romeo set off the fireworks for the finalé, right outside the Guildhall.

Purple and orange rockets shot into the air, falling in sparks that formed shapes like dragons, glowing against the night sky.

The crowd clapped and cheered, and Evergreen (clearly having had enough) led the descent back to the ground before she probably should've.

We touched down outside the Guildhall's doors, and the exceeds made sure to stay hidden until we'd slipped through the doors.

It was wondefully warm inside the Guildhall, especially considering we had bare feet, and Levy led the way over to a table by a radiator.

Happy was whining at me as I sat down, and I turned around as Levy offered to unzip him. He didn't stick around very long when Levy set him free, not saying a word about he fish I'd promised him and jumping onto the table. He ran off, either in search of Carla or Natsu. I hoped it was the latter, his backpack still held my keys and whip.

I turned back around to unzip Levy but found Gajeel had gotten there first. He was sat down next to her, tugging at the zip of the pocket, and freeing Pantherlilly, who promptly jumped onto Gajeel's shoulder.

I turned around, jumping a little as Erza shouted,

"Jellal?!"

I saw her run a few steps across the Guild then jump into the arms of a man with blue hair, hugging him tightly while various Guild members clapped him on the back.

Erza drew back, her ecstactic grin slightly spoiled by her zombie make up, but Jellal didn't seem to mind it one bit.

She looked around the guild, spotted us, and grabbed Jellal's hand, dragging him over.

She pulled him into a seat on the bench opposite, her body glowing gold for a second as she changed her clothes.

Her winged armour vanished and was replaced by a white blouse and blue skirt. If it weren't for the corpse-style makeup, she'd look like she was going on a date.

She smiled at us, gesturing towards the man she'd dragged over,

"Lucy, Levy, this is Jellal. He's been away undercover for the last six months trying to get into a dark guild."

Levy and I glanced at each other, impressed, and Gajeel snorted,

"It's not that hard."

Jellal grinned at him,

"Yeah. Hardest part was having to get engaged." He put an arm around Erza's shoulders firmly. "But, I'm back now, and my fiancé isn't going to be missing me or hurting anyone for a long time."

"Jellal?" Gray walked over, Juvia in tow as he grinned at the blue haired man. "Been six months already?"

Natsu all but rammed into Gray, shouldering him out the way with a grin,

"Jellal, good to see ya! What've you been up to?"

Jellal smiled warmly,

"You know I can't tell you Natsu. Magic Council missions are top secret."

"Ehhh we'll get a few drinks, maybe that'll change."

Erza was so happy she didn't even scowl at Natsu, rolling her eyes almost casually,

"You're not old enough to drink Natsu."

"Fine!" Natsu said, crossing his arms. 'Truth or Dare! But you have to tell us!"

Jellal raised his eyebrows, not agreeing to anything, but Natsu seemed to take his silence for a yes and sat down beside me.

Gray took a seat next to Jellal, Juvia perching on his knee, but Levy and I gave each other a short look. Neither of us had ever played a proper truth or dare game.

"How'd you play?" I muttered to Natsu.

"How'd you play truth or dare?" He said, in no way trying to keep his voice quiet. "You're kidding right?"

I scowled up at him,

"I was homeschooled. When Levy and I played it, it was more like adventure and chatting cause it was just the two of us. I've never played with more than one person."

Jellal put something on the table,

"We'll use this. It's something I picked up for Erza cause I know she loves party games."

Erza smile turned into a grin wider then I'd have thought possible on her usually stern face.

Jellal held his hand over the coin, which glowed for a second, fading when he moved his hand away. He slid the coin towards me with a smile,

"I've instructed the charm on the coin that we're playing truth or dare. Tails is dare, heads is truth. Get either one and the charm'll make you say what's on your mind. Either you'll ask the most interesting question you can think of, or you say the funniest dare you can come up with."

I was not feeling confident about this game at all, but everyone was waiting for me to pick up the coin, so I didn't feel like I had much choice.

The coin felt strangely warm to the touch, a bit like my keys - you could feel it wasn't just a piece of metal.

Hoping against hope the coin didn't force me to say something that I'd never live down, I flipped it.

I caught it, trapping on the back of my left hand, and peeked under to see the verdict. Tails.

"I dare Natsu and Juvia switch places," I said, a little relieved as the statement left my mouth.

Juvia looked appalled, and I could practically hear the repitition of 'love rival' in her head as she stayed resolutely in Gray's lap.

Natsu didn't move either.

"What's the matter flame brain?" Gray challenged. "Got the hots for me or something?"

Natsu wrinkled his nose and stood up, walking around the table and waiting a good ten seconds before Juvia could bring herself to get off Gray.

She trudged around the table and flopped onto the bench next to me, looking like a lost puppy as I handed the coin over. She flipped it up into the air, caught it on the back of her hand, and revealed the heads side of the coin.

"Juvia has a question for Natsu."

Natsu looked around, previously glaring at Gray, who was bouncing Natsu on his leg like a child.

"Juvia wants to know what names Natsu saw on his wrists, the moment after he got his soul mark."

Natsu looked slightly tense but shrugged,

"Gray was on one wrist and my pet rabbit was on the other." Gray raised his eyebrows,

"You had 'pet rabbit' tattooed across your wrists for half a minute?"

"No, I had a rabbit called Lucy. I got Lucy's name on my wrist and she was my best friend when I was younger. She died just before Dad came back with Happy's egg. Happy was the only thing that cheered me up about it."

I looked at Natsu, kinda amazed how sentimental he was. He sounded like one of those kids that adored their teddy bear.

Gajeel didn't seem to think the story was quite so moving, because he chuckled to himself, singing,

"Guess who's got a new nickname."

He was smirking at me. Whatever he was thinking, it was hopefully better than being called shrimp.

Juvia slid the coin to Natsu who flipped it, caught it, then burst out,

"Who wears the pants in your relationship?"

He was looking at Erza and Jellal.

Jellal smiled mutely, Erza raising an eyebrow,

"Who'd you think?"

Natsu grinned,

"Knew it. Gray you owe me 10 Jewel." Gray snatched the coin from Natsu looking dubious,

"Did they actually say who wore the pants."

Before Natsu could ask for an answer, Gray had flipped the coin, ending Natsu's turn. He caught it one handed, holding it up in the middle of his palm. Tails.

"I dare Lucy and Natsu to switch clothes."

He isn't serious?!

Gray was chuckling to himself, watching as Natsu got off his lap, glared around at all of us then stomped away from the table. Juvia immediately left her seat and resettled herself on Gray's lap.

Levy nudged me with a grin and feeling very bitter I got up, seeing that Natsu had stormed over to the stairs leading up to the store room.

By the time I'd climbed the steps to the balcony, Natsu was leaning back with one foot on the wall, arms crossed and looking ticked off.

He's not gonna suggest we change in the same room right?

Natsu sighed, pushing off the wall with his foot, and jerking his thumb towards the store room door.

"I'll stay out here, you change in there. We can pass each other's clothes through the door."

I smiled, relieved, and slipped inside the store room.

I got out of the fairy dress, standing in my underwear by the door, and knocking on it once to tell Natsu I was ready. He opened the door ever so slightly, pushing his hand through the gap with his trousers and vest.

I took them from his hand, passing him the fairy dress, and closing the door as his hand withdrew.

His trousers fit me fine but his vest no where near stretched over my chest. I was practically topless.

I walked over to the small mirror beside the bench, trying to see how I could hold the vest to cover me more. It wasn't very helpful. I was glad I'd worn nice underwear.

The door banged open and I yelped, throwing my arms across my chest to better conceal my bra, my face growing hot as Natsu stormed in.

One hand was clamped over his eyes, the other was holding his scarf which he thrust towards me..

Had I not been half naked, the sight of Natsu in the fairy dress would've been hilarious.

The dress barely covered his ass. I could see the ends of his red boxers and the little dragon designs on them. My chest was a lot bigger than his, meaning it gaped at the top, so loose that it began slipping down now that he wasn't holding it up.

"Gray said my scarf counts as clothes." He said grumpily.

I knew how important that scarf was to Natsu, and normally I would've insisted he keep it, but I didn't really fancy going around the guild half naked.

I took it from him, putting it carefully around my neck and holding it flat over my front. It concealed what the vest didn't, and I was about to thank Natsu but bit back a laugh instead; watching him turn around, tail swinging as he stormed out, leaving me to follow behind him.

We got wolf whistles on our way back to the table, most of them for Natsu who was walking with his head held high.

We sat down, Natsu glaring at Gray who was shaking with silent laughter.

Erza picked the coin up from the table and flipped it in the air, catching it on the back of her hand, heads side up.

"Gray," she asked, "now that Jellal's back, who do you think the best fighter at Fairy Tail is?"

"Laxus." Gray answered immediately, backtracking at Erza's expression. "I mean he's— it's just that you've never come close to killing anyone."

"You don't know that," Erza ground out, her corpse facepaint making her twice as scary as usual.

"Okaayyy," Jellal said, taking the coin from Erza, "my turn."

Jellal got tails.

"Gajeel," Jellal said smugly, "I dare you, to play chicken with Gray." Gray scowled at Jellal.

"No way am I doing that," Gajeel said, "that freak would rather kiss me than loose."

I could've sworn I saw steam rising from Juvia's hair.

"Okay," Jellal said, "I'll step it up a notch. You have to kiss one of the girls."

Gajeel sighed, and I barely caught his mutter of

"Sorry Shrimp," before he'd kissed Levy on the cheek.

Gajeel crossed his arms, as if to proove he wasn't happy about kissing her, but I could practically feel Levy going red next to me. I nudged her jokingly. She didn't respond.

Jellal slid the coin across the table towards Gajeel and he picked it up, tossing it in the air and catching it on the back of his hand.

I didn't see what he got, but I worked it out pretty quick.

"Salamander," he said, "why'd you break up with Lisanna? I thought you were in love and all that?"

The table went a quiet.

Even Gajeel grimaced, regretting his question despite not being able to stop it with the charm on the coin.

Natsu sat up a little straighter next to me, the fairy dress falling down to his middle.

"She lied to me," he said stonily, "you don't lie about something _that_ important. Not to someone you love. Because you're not hiding it out of love, you're hiding it because of insecurity and selfishness. That's not what I want in a relationship."

Natsu stood up abruptly, getting out of his seat, and walking quickly towards the staircase leading to the dorms.

The fact that he was still wearing my dress made his storming off a little less dramatic, but it had enough of an effect to end the game.

Gajeel slid the coin back over to Jellal, all of us looking sheepishly around the table.

* * *

With the mood for party games dead in the water, I went up to the store room to change back into my normal clothes.

I folded Natsu's vest, trousers and scarf, debating what to do with them.

I knew he was upset, and probably wanted to be left alone, but I also knew that he'd want his Dad's scarf back. I always held Aquarius' key for comfort when I was upset.

After a few minutes I decided to take them down to him, heading down to the pub floor and weaving between the rowdy crowd as I headed towards the stairs.

I walked down a single flight, stopping on a landing that had two doors - one for boys and one for girls. Thankfully, Freed didn't seem to have put any runes down to keep the genders apart, because I opened the boys dorm and crossed the threshold with ease.

I found myself in a hallway with lots of doors on one side. It looked a bit like college dorms, with a white board next to each door naming who the room belonged to.

Natsu's room was at the end, his scruffy handwriting proclaiming the room to be property of 'The Salamander.' What looked like Happy's pawprint was next to it.

I knocked but no answer came from inside.

"Natsu?" I called out. "It's me, I've got your scarf."

Still no answer. Maybe he'd gone out for some air while I changed.

I'll leave his stuff inside. I wouldn't put it past Gray to do something to it if I left it outside Natsu's door.

I turned the door handle, quietly stepping into the dark room.

Despite the dim light, I saw that it was pretty messy. There were clothes littering the floor, and a few plates with crumbs left on them were stacked on a desk.

Natsu was in fact in here, lying on his unmade bed, one arm over his eyes, not yet yelling at me to get out.

After a few seconds of silence I walked over to his bed, supposing he was asleep as I laid his clothes at the bottom of it.

"Suppose I shouldn't have been surprised." Natsu said, apparently very much awake. "I mean, she is the sister of the she devil."

My hand went to Aquairus' necklace, fiddling with it as I asked gently,

"What's the She-Devil?"

"Like I'm the Salamander," Natsu said blankly, "Mira's the She-Devil?"

"Jeeze, Fairy Tail's real fond of nicknames."

"They sure are Luigi."

I couldn't quite scowl at him as he lay there on his bed, clearly miserable, but I tried to lighten the mood by reminding him,

"My name is Lucy." Natsu snorted,

"Your name is gonna be Bunny Girl if Gajeel can get away with it."

The reminder of the bunny, of the name that'd appeared on Natsu's wrist, in turn reminded me of something.

"Natsu," I asked, knowing this wasn't he best time to be digging for information but pressing on when he didn't object, "what Erza told you earlier about the dragons. Did she mention the one called Acnologia?"

"Umhmm," he said, arm still over his eyes.

I shifted my weight between my feet, not wanting to bother him but desperate to know,

"Do you know what he's the dragon of?"

"Souls." Natsu said shortly, clearly not wanting to talk.

I was dying to push the subject further but the tone of Natsu's voice told me it was time to leave.

I walked back to the door, making it out into the hall before Natsu asked,

"Why d'ya want to know?"

I poked my head back inside.

Natsu looked as uninterested as ever, arm still over his eyes. He was clearly just being polite, and though I didn't want to make his day worse, I didn't want to lie either.

"Acnologia," I said, "it was the name that came up on my wrist with yours. Virgo said my Mum died sealing him away, I just...I didn't know anything about him."

Natsu took a deep breath and I knew he was going to force himself to sit up and talk.

I didn't want to make him reel off painful information about his Father (or any other dragon) not when he'd just been grilled about his break up.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I said quickly, "sleep well."

And before he could say anything else, I withdrew from the room and closed the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter, you'll never guess what's coming next!
> 
> The only time you clean you skeleton is when you clean your teeth.  
> More of a perspective than anything but it's technically still a fact :P
> 
> Thanks so much to everyone who's reviewed!  
> Hope to see you in the next chapter :D  
> M


	9. Erigor of Eisenwald

The crowd had started to thin as I walked back to my apartment. I hadn't been able to see Gajeel when I climbed back up to the pub floor, so I assumed he was taking Levy home.

Walking back to Strawberry Street on my own wasn't the smartest decision, but I only realised when I was at my apartment that I'd left my ring of gate keys and whip in Happy's backpack.

I pulled my apartment key out of my shirt, relieved I kept Aquarius' key strung alongside it. She'd murder me if I left her with Happy.

Trudging upstairs I didn't feel much like eating, so I went straight to the bathroom to try and wash the blue glitter off my skin.

After getting most of it off, I changed into my pajamas and got into bed, glad that I didn't have to get up early for work tommrow. Mira had given me Sunday morning off, because there wouldn't be much to do with most of Fairy Tail sleeping off their alcohol.

I was looking forwards to a lie in, but a mechanical sound woke me up, and I saw Natsu swivelling around in my desk chair. He had his feet up on the desk and was thumbing through the notebook holding the first draft of my novel.

I scrambled out of bed, snatching the book from his hands and closing it quickly.

"Hey!" He said, holding out his hands for the book, "I was reading that!"

I frowned down at him, resisting the urge to yell after seeing him in such a mess yesterday.

"It's not finished. Why are you in here? I made sure the window was closed last night."

Natsu raised his eyebrows,

"You closed it but you didn't lock it. Thought I should probably check, considering you left yourself open to attack with your keys at the guild." I sighed and held out a hand,

"Okay, well can I have them back?"

Natsu stood up, pulling the ring of gate keys from his pouch. I snatched at them but he held them up, out of my reach.

"Hang on," he said, "I want payment for keeping them safe over night."

I crossed my arms, not sure whether he was being serious, but listening as he said,

"We need someone for a mission next weekend,"

Lisanna's spot must be permanently vacant on his team.

"Gray is thinking about bringing Juvia," Natsu crossed his arms, "but I won't survive being partnered with Erza for more than a few hours. Will you come instead?"

Instead of answer I jumped for my keys, but he jerked them out of reach, shaking them over my head so they jangled.

"What's the job?" I asked, scowling.

"A couple of people have gone missing in Hosenka Town. The police thinks it's related to some thugs that have been seen digging for treasure."

"Digging for treasure? Doesn't sound very thuggish."

"It's not," he said obviously, "it's a dark guild searching for some kind of artefact, but the police don't know that. We'll do some investigating for the mayor, beat up a few people, then come home. You in?"

I jumped for the keys again, missing them completely, and scowling at Natsu's triumphant grin.

"Fine, I'll go. Can I have them back now?"

Natsu lowered the keys into my hands.

I went to put them back in their pouch on my belt, but suddenly realised I'd left that with Happy too.

"Have you got my belt and whip?" Natsu shrugged,

"Maybe. I could probably give it to ya if you got me some of Erza's strawberry shortcake."

Touché asshole.

* * *

At 5am next Saturday I met Natsu, Gray, and Erza at the train station.

We didn't have long to travel, Hosenka Town was just West of Magnolia, but Erza wanted to get there early.

I was planning to try and keep Natsu as far away from Gray and Erza as possible. If Erza didn't have to stop them fighting, it might put her in a good enough mood to let us spend some time in one of the town's famous spas.

If it were anyone but Erza, Natsu's attitude would probably make a spa trip more likely, but I had a feeling Erza was more likely to relax by kicking his butt, not kicking back in a hot spring.

Just like last time, Natsu spent the entire train journey on the floor of the carriage.

Happy jumped up on my lap to avoid getting crushed in his rucksack, and I made sure to cover him with my coat so his blue fur wouldn't attract any attention.

I helped a groaning Natsu off the train, Happy stowed away in his backpack and grumbling about being hungry. Natsu not moving his mouth, Happy's complaining was drawing a few odd looks from early morning workers. Half dragging the train-sick Natsu, we lagged behind Erza and Gray, but they didn't seem to mind.

Just walking through the streets, Hosenka Town was beautiful to look at.

The sky was a cold, bright blue, and the air was completely still as we walked down the almost empty streets. That alone made it feel a little magical, but I could tell it'd look even better at night. There were lanterns and lights strung everywhere, flags and fairy lights flashing despite the daylight. I couldn't wait to see it this evening.

Natsu was thankfully feeling better by the time we made it to the hotel. Once we'd checked in Erza suggested we split into pairs, two of us going to see the mayor for mission recon, and two of us responsible for food.

Mostly due to Happy's whining, Natsu chose food. Erza gave me the jewel to buy it and left us to hunt for a food store, she and Gray heading in the direction of the nearest digging incident, clearly wanting to investigate a little before seeing the mayor.

Shopping with Natsu was a lot more stressful than I'd thought it would be. Natsu refused to shop in the little grocery stores we passed, wanting no doubt to buy as much food as possible from the biggest store he could find.

After ten minutes of pleading with him to just pick a store, he finally agreed to go into one with trolleys outside, insisting we use a trolley despite our limited Jewel. On the way around the store, I had to stop him from filling the trolley with every snack the store had to offer.

"You can't have doritos and pringles." I told him, retrieving them from the trolley, and reeling off the same argument for the hundredth time. "We're on a budget. You have to choose one, or the other."

Natsu crossed his arms,

"Come on Luigi, you can't make a man choose between doritos and pringles."

"Fine," I said, raising my voice a little, "then we won't buy Happy any fish."

Natsu's rucksack shifted, its material muffling Happy's yell,

"HEY I NEED TO EAT TOO!"

Natsu scowled, snatched the can of pringles from me, and replaced them on the shelf.

Looking grumpy he turned away, stalking towards the fish aisle.

* * *

It took us almost an hour to finish the shopping, and at the end of it Natsu insisted on carrying all the bags.

It wasn't that far to the hotel, and the bags weren't really that heavy, but when I tried to take a one from Natsu he started smoking at the nostrils.

I wasn't sure if he was doing it for effect, or if he was really just that determined to carry the shopping. Either way, a bag of fish wasn't worth exposing magic to the citizens of Hosenka Town.

When we got back to the hotel, Natsu insisted on unloading all the shopping, but I drew the line when he told me I should have a lie down.

"Okay, what's the matter with you?" I asked, arms crossed definantely. "I'm not that tired after walking round town, and I can handle getting out some shopping."

"I'm just trying to watch out for you."

I smirked,

"Well that's very nice Natsu but I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

"Obviously not," he said, "considering all the times you've ended up passed out or worse."

Oh jeeze. He's still guilt tripping himself about his fight with Laxus, is he?

"Natsu, the last time I got hurt was because my magic energy had been drained. I know a lot more about my magic now, and the next time you pick a fight with the strongest person in the guild, I'll make sure to get out the way."

Natsu glared at me,

"Lucy, you nearly died the last time I wasn't watching out for the people around me."

I stared at him for a second, a little shocked that he'd used my real name but determined to stand my ground.

"Carrying some mackrel across town and unpacking it isn't going to kill me."

Natsu scowled, apparently not convinced, but he didn't want to budge on his viewpoint any more than I did.

He didn't say anything else, but picked up Happy and his room key, and left to go wait in the other hotel room.

I sighed, and flopped down on the bed.

Erza has thrown me around that squash court enough to teach me how to handle myself. Does he think I'm that weak?

To be fair to him and his massive guilt complex, I don't think he's actually seen me fight. At the Everlue mansion, he busted through the hedge in time to see me wrestling that girl (Yukino, I think Makarov said her name was).

My stomach rumbled loudly. If I was hungry Natsu must be starving. I guess I could take him breakfast then leave him alone.

I got up and rummaged through the bag of breakfast foods, pulling out some vacuum packed fish for Happy, and a sandwich for Natsu. They could both come back for more if they wanted it.

I picked up the spare keycard and the key this room, and walked out into the hallway, tucking the fish and the sandwich under my arm.

I headed over to the next room and slotted the key into the door.

It opened and I made it two steps over the threshold before all hell broke loose.

I was blown off my feet, the door slamming shut behind me as I was thrown against it. I couldn't get to my keys, couldn't move, pinned to the cheap wood by a wind so strong I couldn't even open my eyes.

Next second the wind had stopped, and my feet found the ground again, the food falling at my feet. My heart dropped as my hands flew to my belt.

The pouch where my keys should be was empty. My whip and the ring of gate keys were now in the hands of a man sitting on the bed.

He had spikey silver hair, tattos over his eyes like Jellal's soul mark, and everything about his clothes just screamed bad guy.

His long black cloak left his tattoed chest bare, a make shift belt made out of ripped material holding up his black skirt, which flowed all the way down to his ankles.

The man glanced to his right and I followed his gaze, seeing Happy and Natsu over the other side of the room, both bound and struggling.

Happy was swaddled in a cocoon of rope, his mouth held shut with a make-shift muzzle. Natsu was on the floor, his scarf tied over his mouth to muffle angry yelling. His ankles had been bound in rope but I saw metal, medieval looking cuffs locking his wrists behind his back. The metal was glowing ominously.

They must be stopping him from using magic. The whole room would be on fire otherwise.

"And finally," said the man with Silver hair, "the most important fly arrives. Your friends say you're the only one who can use these. Correct?"

Stalling for time and racking my brain for a way out of this, I clenched my fists,

"Oh come on. I'm not stupid enough to believe you took down Erza _and_ Gray."

Sure, Natsu had been taken down. But Erza? No way.

The man smirked,

"Didn't need to. They exchanged themselves and your services, for our hostages. We've got some digging to do with one of your little helpers, then you'll be coming with me. Someone wants to see you Miss Heartfelia, he's missing you very much."

I stared at the man. Seriously? My Father contracted _another_ dark guild?!

"And how much did my old man pay you? Is it really worth angering the magic council?"

"Your old man?" Silver hair laughed. "I was talking about our guild master…but if your old man is paying Heartfelia, I think I can make an exception. Eisenwald can come collect you later if Daddy wants you back."

Way to go Lucy. Really drop yourself in it.

The wizard lay my keys and whip on the bed next to him, pulling another pair of glowing cuffs from a pocket in his long skirts.

"You just hold still little fly. I'll slip these on, then you'll be seeing Daddy dearest in no time."

Natsu managed to jump to his feet, but with his ankles still bound he overbalanced, falling back onto the floor with a muffled yell.

I had to do something, I couldn't just go back home. I'd never see my spirits or Fairy Tail again. But I only had one weapon and it was strung around my neck, far away from any source of water.

The idea hit me as Silver hair walked over to Natsu, kicking him hard and knocking the wind out of him.

I covered my face with my hands.

Come on Lucy, think about leaving Levy and Fairy Tail. Think about leaving your apartment, about never eating lunch in that crappy school cafeteria. Think about not reminding Juvia day after day that you're not a love rival. Think about Erza saying how much you've improved. About flying last week with Happy. Think about never reminding Natsu that my name is _Lucy_ , not Luigi.

I felt wetness on my fingers and screwed up my eyes, scooping the tears off my eyelashes then clutching the key around my neck.

"Open, gate of the water bearer!" I cried, opening my eyes at the clanging of a doorbell.

I caught a split second view of Silver Hair in front of me, before he was obscured by a great puff of spirit smoke.

He fell back a step, Aquarius budging her way between us, her water jug raised. Water propelled itself at the man like a firetruck hose, sending him flying backwards over the beds.

A small tendril of water split off from the hose, flying through the air and over to the where my whip and gate keys lay. Like an extended arm it carried them back over to me, letting me pluck them from their air as Aquarius advanced.

Silver hair's wind was rushing around him like a coocoon, blocking Aquarius' water. Aquarius raised a hand, increasing the water pressure and pushing him, cocoon and all, into the wall, so hard that the plaster began to crack.

A purple magic circle formed outside his cocoon, glowing brightly as the wall began to buckle. The concrete in the wall was blasted apart, and silver hair fell from the fifth story of the hotel, his purple magic circle flashing.

Aquairus' water jet expanded into a kind of sheild, blocking the glowing purple like which had split into sharp boomerang shapes, and were flying through the air towards us.

Aquarius picked a few of them off with a wave of her hand, and water leapt out from the sheild, swallowing them. I channeled magic through my whip and flicked it towards the few she'd missed, slashing two from the air and dodging the last narrowly.

"Get Natsu free," I ordered, dodging around Aquarius and vaulting over the two single beds.

I stopped just before the hole in the wall, aware that Silver hair might come back through if he could fly with that wind.

I couldn't see him in the sky so I peered through the hole in the wall, looking down at the street below to see rubble from the wall and a few staring pedestrians. We were lucky it was so early, there weren't many people on the street. Those that were seemed to have avoided the chunks of concrete blasted out the wall.

I quickly stepped away from the hole, turning around at the sound of hissing of water. Aquarius was blasting a high powered jet through the chain of Natsu's cuffs, cutting the metal links, which once broken no longer glowed.

Once free, Natsu pulled his scarf away from his mouth, his fists and feet covering themselves in flames.

The rope on his ankles turned to ash, and he held out a firey hand, singeing Happy's ropes so that they'd snap if the cat wiggled around.

The metal shackles were glowing white hot, and he bashed his wrists together, so hard that the metal cracked.

The cuffs fell to the floor in pieces, making the carpet catch fire. Aquarius made a motion like she was swatting a fly and dowsed it, the metal hissing as it cooled to yellow then a lumpy grey.

The water slipped off it, rising like a fountain back into Aquarius' jug, showing a ring of carpet had burnt away from the metal now welded itself to the floor.

There goes the deposit for the room.

Happy got out of his bindings and leapt into the air, wings out and hovering next to Natsu.

Natsu made as if he was going to run across the room, presumably to jump out the hole in the wall and chase after Silver hair, but Aquarius threw a wall of water between him and his escape route. Clearly he was to wait for his own rant while she turned on me.

On the bright side, she didn't look furious, more like she wanted vent her frustration on someone.

"Not that you'd know what its like," she said, crossing her arms, "but I was in the middle of a date with my boyfriend. Next time you barge into a new environment brat, you might want to be ready for an attack. That way you won't get your keys taken off you, and you can call someone who is actually contracted for a Saturday! I don't want you reduced to crying on my key every time you get ambushed. You'll need to practise if you're going on missions with the dumbest dragon slayer in the guild!"

"Hey!" Natsu protested. "That guy only got the jump on me cause I couldn't hear him! He must've had an artefact that blocks dragon slayer senses!"

Aquarius's water wall was sucked back into her vase, and she rounded on him angrily,,

"Are you really that stupid?! Dragon slayers' senses always focus on their soul mate when they're close by! The presence of a matching soul mark messes with your magical instincts! It's in just about every dragon slayer guide if you ever bothered to open a book!"

Natsu glared up at Aquarius,

"LISTEN HERE YOU GIANT FISH—"

He was cut off as Aquarius dowsed him in water.

Natsu brought his hands up to try and shield his face, side stepping to try and get out of the waterfall, but it moved with him, keeping up a steady, suffocating stream.

I picked up Aquarius' key from where it lay on my chest, and swiped it through the air.

Her gate closed and she was gone in a puff of smoke, leaving Natsu soaking wet, his head looking oddly small with his pink hair plastered flat against it.

Happy giggled as Natsu spat out a mouthful of water, pushing his pink fridge out of his eyes.

"Still think I can't handle myself," I asked, "or should I call Aquarius back?"

The water on Natsu's skin started evaporating as he began drying himself magically. Steam began rising off his clothes as he narrowed his eyes at me,

"Real nice spirit you've got hanging around your neck."

I grinned, trying not to laugh as he held up his hair, styling it with hot fingers as it dried.

"Come on, we need to go rescue Erza and Gray."

Natsu let out a low laugh,

"Well that's a sentence I never thought I'd hear."

* * *

We descended the stairs to the ground floor quickly, Happy hanging onto the back of Natsu's vest like a backpack. Trying to act natural, we rushed past concerned hotel employees, who were conferring on walkie-talkies about the explosion on the fifth floor.

We didn't spot Silver hair on the street, nor did we see him as we ran towards the place Erza and Gray had set out to investigate.

It was near the centre of town, hidden down an alley way. A hole had been blasted through cobbles, cordoned off with cones and plastic caution tape.

We leaned over, seeing that the hole had been blasted into some kind of maaintenence tunnel beneath the street.

Natsu ducked under the tape and lowered himself into the hole, Happy jumping off his back before he dropped through the hole. Surprisingly, Happy flew over to me, picking me up by the back of my jacket and flying me down to the tunnel floor.

Natsu had lit his hand on fire when we landed, holding it aloft like a torch and looking up and down the tunnel. Happy floated down to the tunnel floor, his white wings vanishing as he fell onto all fours.

I pulled my phone out my pocket and switched on the flashlight setting. Natsu looked at the phone disapprovingly.

"What?" I said defensively. "I haven't got fire magic."

Happy looked up at me patronisingly,

"Using a torch totally kills the magic vibe Lucy."

"I need to see where I'm going too!"

"Which way are we going?" Natsu asked. "I can't smell where they went with you so close."

I held up a finger for him to wait and pulled the ring of gate keys from my pouch. I found the right silver key and cleared my throat, saying clearly,

"Open, gate of the compass."

The doorbell echoed along the tunnel and a puff of smoke appeared next to me. Pyxis emerged from it, his beak open like he was smiling.

Natsu stared at him,

"Isn't that just a penguin with a compass strapped to its head?" I put a hand on my hip,

"How many penguins have you seen that are red and three feet tall?" Natsu cocked an eyebrow,

"You're completely missing my point about the compass."

I ignored him, mostly because I couldn't really give a valid answer, and focused on the spirit beside me,

"Pyxis. Can your powers tell us the direction Erza and Gray went?"

Pyxis lifted his flippers and banged on his compass like a drum. The needle spun around madly, then froze, the red end pointing to the left, the black to the right.

The penguin let out a happy caw, and thrust both fins towards the left end of the tunnel.

Not wasting any more time, Natsu and Happy both took off in that direction, leaving me to thank Pyxis then shut his gate.

Natsu was sprinting so fast ahead of me, the light of his fire was growing a faint as I ran after him.

My phone lighting the way, I followed the tunnel's twists and turns, running for a good few minutes before I heard Natsu yellig,

"COME ON, YOU GONNA FIGHT ME OR WHAT?!"

I slowed down, turning off my phone's flashlight as I neared the tunnel's next bend.

It was probably best I stay back and try to assess the situation while Natsu went barrelling in, dragon fire blazing.

"Take one more step," I heard Silver hair say, "and your fellow flies die."

"Let em go!" Natsu yelled.

If Erza and Gray were right by Silver hair, then Natsu wouldn't be able to get to them in time, but I bet Virgo could.

I heard Silver hair laugh,

"Hand over Heartfelia fire-fly, and the rest of you are free to go."

"No way!" Happy yelled.

"Yeah," Natsu shouted, "Gray's not worth half of Lucy!"

"What the hell Natsu?!" I heard Gray shout, his voice just about masking the tiny doorbell sound as a puff of smoke appeared next to me.

Virgo emerged, bowing but not saying a word.

"I need you to free Gray and Erza," I whispered.

Virgo bowed once more and then spun on the spot.

She did not drill into the ground quietly. Knowing my cover was blown I made to run out, but something collided with my back, hard.

I fell forwards onto my stomach, feeling someone's leg press heavily on my back, pinning me to the ground.

I hadn't seen anyone else in the tunnel but there was someone on top of me, their hand pinning down my arm, the other trying to pull my ring of keys out of my grasp.

With my free hand I wrenched my whip from my belt, hearing Silver hair yell,

"Got her Kageyama? This—" but he was cut off, probably by Natsu jumping into action.

Kageyama paused, clearly wondering what had cut Silver hair off, and I used his momentary distraction to my advantage.

Channelling magic through my whip I flicked it behind me, just like I had in my last training session with Erza.

It wrapped around Kageyama's chest and, with strength that definitely came from my magic and not my arm muscles, I threw him off my by swinging my arm forwards.

I jumped to my feet, my stomach churning with both dread and awe as the man, Kageyama flew towards the wall and melted into its shadows. After a second he stepped out of them, like he was climbing through a hole instead of stepping out a solid wall, clearly uninjured despite being thrown at a solid surface.

My fingers found Taurus' key,

"Open, gate of the golden bull!"

The clanging of a doorbell echoed along the tunnel, and Taurus appeared in a puff of smoke.

"Careful Taurus, this guy can hide himself in shadows!"

Kageyama grinned, raising a hand,

"I can use shadows to do this too..."

What felt like a giant hand grabbed me, just above the ankle, and before i knew what was happening I'd been hoisted into the air, the keys around my neck hitting me in the chin.

I yelped with embaressment as my skirt flipped down, blood rushing to my head as I tried to keep my pants hidden.

"GET YOUR EYES OFF LUCY'S BOOOOOOTY!" Tarus yelled, and I turned in time to see him swing his axe at Kageyama.

The dark wizard dodged the attack, sinking through the floor into Taurus' shadow.

Something split off from Taurus' shadow, slithering away up the wall, heading towards me.

Taurus swung his axe into the wall just ahead of it, splitting the tunnel wall and probably shocking the Kageyama more than anything - it's not like you could cut a shadow.

"Princess?" I turned my head and found my face alarmingly close to Virgo's. "Your friends are safe and free of their bindings. I found this while I was digging. Thought you might make use of it."

She held out her hand, palm up.

How she had found a zodiac's gate key just lying around, I didn't know, but as I heard Taurus' moo of frustration I transferred my whip and keys to the hand holding up my skirt, and quickly took it from her.

"I shall leave you be Princess. You should have enough magical energy to summon Leo, once my gate and Taurus' are closed."

"Thanks Virgo," I said, clutching the new gate key as she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Though Virgo had vanished, I let out a small shriek as Kageyama's face emerged from her dissapating spirit smoke.

"Open—" but another of his shadows slipped like rope under my chin, wrapping around my head to keep my mouth shut, stopping me from summoning any spirits.

"Nice try." Kageyama said, squinting at the two keys lying on my chin. "Now what do we have here? Another gate key around your neck?"

Blood was pounding in my ears, as he reached for Aquarius' key. I tried to lean away, but the shadow around my head held me still. Taurus didn't come to help, he must've closed his gate like Virgo had said.

The sound of a doorbell echoed through the tunnel, and with my head held fast I looked around for spirit smoke. For a second I wondered if Aquarius had summoned herself without the presence of water.

There was a blinding flash of light and next second the shadows around my head and ankles vanished.

I fell into someone's arms, looking up at an unfamiliar face.

The man who'd caught me wore a suit and glasses with blue tinted lenses. The only thing that gave him away as a spirit were the ginger cat ears poking out his messy, orange hair. He winked at me, sighing almost dreamily,

"Long time no see Beautiful."

The spirit Leo gently put me back on my feet, bowing his head courteously and saying,

"Excuse me one second."

Leo turned and ran towards Kageyama, who was forcing himself back onto his feet, the cracks in the wall behind him showing he'd just been thrown against it. His jaw dropped as he saw Leo running towards him,

"But you're—" he was cut off with a punch to the face, a blow that threw him back into the cracked wall again.

Kageyama slid down it, apparently out cold.

I ran over, Leo brushing dust from his suit as I skidded to a halt, looking at the scene beyond the curce of the tunnel.

Happy was stood cheering a few steps away, watching as Natsu got literally fired up.

He was at the centre of a massive column of fire, Gray apparently egging him on while Silver hair floated up above them.

A storm of wind currents whipped around the wind wizard, but the force of them seemed to weaken the wider Natsu's column of fire grew.

His flames seemed to be redirecting the wind, slowly chipping away at Silver hair's barrier. Erza stood to the side, clearly ready to attack the moment there was an opening. She was dressed in her angel armour, and had more than twenty swords floating around her.

Natsu let out a yell, clearly outraged at something Gray had just said, and as his column of fire expanded Erza threw her hand towards the wind wizard.

Over twenty swords flew through the air, and as Silver hair's barrier failed he swerved in the air. He dodged the blades but they swerved around like missiles, flying through the air towards him as he landed, backing up against the wall of the tunnel.

At the last second he dived aside, letting every blade sink into the concrete behind him, and rolling out the way as Natsu took aim.

Redirecting his column of fire, Natsu threw his arms out towards the wizard, sending every flame that'd been roaring towards the ceiling flying forwards.

Silver hair didn't conjure enough wind in time, and the fire hit him like a battering ram. The wind wizard was thrown back down the tunnel so far and fast, he flew out of sight, and Natsu lowered his arms, stopping the flow of fire so Erza could chase after him.

Happy ran forwards, jumping into the air and spreading his wings, yelling,

"We sure showed him!" Natsu turned around and high fived his cat,

"We sure did! I gotta get some food and fire in me though, I'm starving!"

I smiled as I walked over over,

"You wouldn't be if you just ate breakfast."

"He didn't eat breakfast?" Gray asked, stunned as he also walked over to Natsu.

"He got all fired up over nothing," I said, "left the room and forgot to take food with him."

Grey grinned at Natsu,

"Touchy as ever fire freak."

Natsu leapt at Gray, clearly ready to fight _him_ now the real threat was out of sight.

"Nice work there Beautiful." Leo said from behind me. "That training is paying off, both for your magic and for your ass."

Leo grinned at me smugly, his hands in his pockets as he stood behind me. I turned around, trying my best not to glare at a brand new spirit,

"Any chance I could change our contract to ban staring at my ass?"

Leo pouted, taking a step forwards to stand in my personal space,

"How d'ya know we have a contract? I opened my own gate after all."

I went to cross my arms, but decided against it as Leo's eyes flicked down to my chest.

"I have contracts with all the zodiac," I said defiantely, "now add a sub clause and ban anything perverted."

"Come on Beautiful, you need to do that with Taurus not me. I may flirt my way around the world, but I'm not interested in your body," Leo bent alarmingly close, within kissing distance. "I'm only interested in those eyes."

Leo leapt back suddenly, just in time to avoid the fire ball that soared right through the space where his head had just been.

"Are you under some kind of spell Lucy," Natsu yelled, "or do you just want to see me kick his ass?!"

Natsu and Gray were no longer fighting, both stood as if ready to fight Leo.

I held up my hands quickly,

"No it's fine, most of my spirits are like this. This is Leo. Virgo found his key in the ground near here."

"Please," Leo said, "call me Loke. Leo's so formal." Grey raised an eyebrow, asking me,

"What was he doing buried in the ground?"

"I'm right here y'know," Loke said, "and you didn't have a problem with Virgo being in the ground."

"Virgo's speciality is digging," I said, thinking Gray had a point, "don't celestial spirits have different powers?"

Loke shrugged casually,

"As King of the Zodiac, thought I should hide myself pretty well, especially with dark guilds searching for gate keys. A lion's only gonna settle for the most beautiful girl out there."

He winked at me suggestively.

Could I not just have one normal spirit?

Natsu was still looking doubtfully at Loke,

"So whaddya do? Roar at people?"

"I can use ring magic, the element of light, transformation magic and I make use of a few martial arts."

"Are you any good?" Natsu asked, as if he'd challenge Loke right here, right now.

"Any good?" Loke smirked. "As the King I'm the strongest zodiac member."

His smirk didn't fall but I heard his voice in my head, his tone a lot more anxious,

_Don't tell Aquarius I said that._

So, she scares the crap outta everyone, not just me.

At the sound of footsteps we all looked down the tunnel, but it was only Erza, back in her chest armour and blue skirt, clearly not happy.

"He got away," she said, reaching us with her fists clenched, "used his wind magic to blast up through the ground before I could get to him."

"Are the hostages alright?" Loke asked.

Erza frowned at him, clearly wondering what a stranger was doing here.

"This is Loke," I said, "Virgo found his gate key when she came to free you and Gray."

"So it's you they were searching for?" Erza asked.

"From what I gathered, they thought they'd try and make a contract by threatening hostages. You and Mr tall, dark, and handsome busted in when they were a few feet from digging me out."

I made a mental note to never summon Loke within ear shot of Juvia.

Natsu looked over at Erza,

"Oh yeah, how come you just gave our hotel's address to that wind psycho?" Erza raise an eyebrow,

"Because I thought you could handle him. Erigor is from a dark guild called Eisenwald, and when he threatened his Hosenka Town hostages, I struck a deal. I knew Virgo could dig up his treasure, so while Gray and I took the place of the hostages, he went to go and fetch you and Lucy. I assumed you'd just come back for us when you'd finished with Erigor."

Happy sniggered,

"Natsu upset Lucy's fish..."

Natsu scowled at Happy,

"Well she insulted me, what was I gonna do, stand there and take it?!"

"Anyway," Loke said loudly, pulling everyone's attention back to him, "I should be going now. Call me if you need anything Beautiful, we can hook up anytime you want."

Natsu let out a small sound of disbelief as Loke disappeared in a puff of smoke.

I turned around to see my soul mate staring at me.

"So you fight with the spirits of perves, penguins and snowmen?"

I raised my eyebrows at him,

"Don't forget your favourite fish."

Before Natsu could fire back Erza said loudly,

"Come on. We need to check on the hostages, then we can rest back at the hotel."

Natsu and I glanced at each other, and Erza unfortunately noticed.

"Please tell me the hotel is still standing," she said.

"Natsu dropped molten metal on the floor!" I said quickly, Natsu protesting,

"The metal is nothing! Aquarius threw that Eribore guy through the freaking wall!"

"I didn't do anything!" Happy said quickly, flying a little out of Erza's reach all the same.

"Honestly guys," Gray said, clearly enjoying being out of trouble for once, "we leave you alone for just over an hour..."

"Well at least I fought against having those anti-magic cuffs put on me." Natsu snapped. "You went and held your hands out for them like it was natural. You and Juvia have fun with that in private?"

"Says the one who's soul mate uses a whip!" Gray retorted.

"Boys!" Erza yelled. "Stop arguing. We need to take Kageyama to the mayor, check on the hostages and get our reward. Then we're going back to the hotel, paying for the damages and going home. There's no way we can afford to stay the night when we demolished one of their rooms."

I felt my heart sink with dissapointment. No spa trip _and_ less rent mony. I may have enough stocked up for this month, but that was only if I used the Jewel I'd saved from our last mission.

Next job I'm going on has to be a Wednesday. That way, if Natsu thinks about breaking anything, I can summon Aquarius to 'convince' him otherwise.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! Finished another chapter? I suppose you'll be wanting another fact then;
> 
> Sea horses have dates before they carry out their mating dances. Over the course of about a week, they'll meet for a few hours in the morning and just hang out for a few hours, then part ways. Their actual mating dance lasts for 8 hours, where they hook their tails together and gently spin around and stuff - talk about commitment!
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
> Hope to see you in the next chapter :D  
> M


	10. Oracíon Seis All Over the Place

The afternoon train ride back to Magnolia, was just a little tense.

We couldn't clear up the mess on this street because it'd look a bit weird a couple of tourists cleaning up the rubble. Instead we had to pay the mayor, who in turn payed some work men to clean it up.

Then, at the small, small, price of no reward, he offered to fix the damage to the hotel. Still, we had to fork out extra Jewel to make any awkward questions go away, questions that people who didn't know about magic might ask. Like why four teens would bring a bomb into a hotel, for instance.

Erza was so fed up by the evening she didn't seem to have the energy to tell us off. Instead, she got onto the train without a word, sitting down erectly and putting her ear phones in, blasting music loud enough to tell us she wanted to be left alone. She spent the whole trip looking out the window, ignoring Natsu who lay on the floor, and not bothering to tell Gray off for prodding him in the side with his foot.

I sat with Happy curled up on my lap, my coat hiding him from passersby.

Despite the occasional elbow I dug into Gray's side he kept nudging the travel sick Natsu. I knew their relationship was built on fighting with each other, but after five minutes of constant prodding Natsu seemed to have had enough. He was pale in the face, one hand over his mouth and the other lifting off his stomach as he swung his elbow down on Gray's foot.

Gray cursed, pulling his foot up onto the seat as Natsu turned over, curling up in a ball.

"Can I borrow your whip?" Gray asked through gritted teeth.

I didn't dignify his request with an answer, asking instead,

"Why are you two so mean to each other?" Gray raised his eyebrows at me,

"Mean? Nah, Fairy Tail shows affection through violence. Can't you tell by all the fighting at the guild?"

"But you two seem to always be going at it."

Gray shrugged,

"We used to spar when we were kids. Plus, Natsu was the nemesis name that came up on my wrist. Just cause we beat each other up though, doesn't mean he's not my best friend."

Gray glanced at me warningly,

"Don't tell him I said that."

I crossed my legs triumphantly,

"Oh I'm definitely telling him you said that."

"Oh come on! I'll get Juvia to leave you alone for a week!"

"How the heck are you gonna manage that?" I asked, Gray screwing up his face in thought,

"Er...I dunno...I could tell her I think you're butt-ugly or something?"

"Wow...thanks!"

Gray nudged me jokingly,

"Hey, I don't just offer this opportunity to anyone y'know."

Natsu mumbled something that sounded like one of Gray's ice princess nicknames. Mr ice princess stared pointedly at the whip on my belt.

"No," I said firmly.

"Then call Virgo - it'd give Erza a laugh."

"Yeah," I said sarcastically, "cause summoning a maid who wears chains around her wrists would look so normal on a train."

Gray rolled his eyes,

"We could break the council's rules just this once..."

Apart from the fact that Erza would have my head, I was a member of Fairy Tail, and though they might push the Council's guidelines they never purposefully broke them. I wasn't going to be the one who changed that. It was only dark guilds who didn't care who saw their magic.

Truth be told, apart from being the bad guys, I didn't know that much about the dark guilds in Fiore.

"How many dark guilds are there?" I asked.

Gray actually diverted his attention from Natsu, clearly thinking about his answer,

"...No one really knows. Dark guilds are just guilds not registered with the council, but the reason they're not registered is cause they take illegal jobs. I know there're two main ones, but I reckon there could be hundreds."

I thought of the redhead, Flare, my age and apparently involved with a dark guild,

"Do they recruit kids?"

"I've only heard of teenagers actually fighting for them," Gray said, "but they must take in kids and train them to fight."

"Does Eisenwald do that?"

Gray tilted his head uncertainly,

"I don't think so. As far as I know, Eisenwald is a kind of subgroup within the Oracíon Seis. The Seis are one of the two big dark guilds. I think the other one is called Grimoire Heart."

I fiddled with Aquarius' key around my neck,

"If there's loads of different dark guilds, how come all of them wants my keys?"

Gray hestitated for a second, clearly thinking again,

"I don't reckon they want your keys for the same reason. The smaller guilds probably only want them cause they heard the bigger two were searching for them. No idea what the big two want them for though. Maybe they need you and the keys? I mean, I remember your Mum being really important in the war."

I stared at him.

"You knew my Mum?"

"I never met her, but I remember my parents talking about her." Gray started fiddling with his own necklace, tracing the silver cross that lay beneath his t-shirt. "They fought alongside Master Makarov. I can remember them saying the dragon of stars would save our souls."

"What else have they told you about her?" I asked.

"I don't remember much." He said, looking straight ahead. "They died in the war."

I paused, trying to think of something to say.

I knew from experience he'd probably heard 'I'm sorry' enough times to make him feel sick, but Juvia might kill me if I try and give him a hug.

Gray got out his own headphones and put them on, saving me from saying anything, and leaving the mood even worse than it'd been when we'd gotten on the train.

* * *

Half an hour later we pulled into Magnolia station.

Happy jumped off my lap, no longer hidden by my coat because he wouldn't attract too much attention in Magnolia

Since the parade, the public seemed to have convinced themselves that Fairy Tail's exceeds were part of our 'illusion act'. Obviously no one from the guild had provided an explanation, so they public had been left to conspiracy theories and speculation. Half the town seemed to think the exceeds were robots, half of them were convinced they were just highly trained cats with some cool tech that let them fly and talk.

It was a relief that Happy could walk around town freely, as he was able to help me heave Natsu off the floor. Unfortunately, when I'd pulled Natsu's arm over my shoulder, he seemed to think his duty was done, and scampered off the train before I could call him back.

Erza followed him, as did Gray, who thankfully paused to pick up mine and Natsu's bags while I heaved my soul mate off the train.

On the platform I couldn't see Happy, though Erza didn't bother waiting for him, striding towards the station exit with her trolley of luggage.

I assumed Happy had flown back to the guild, eager to get back to Carla as soon as possible.

It turned out I was right, but he hadn't stayed there long. He came flying back to us as we walked turned into the main street, swooping down in front of Erza, his eyes so wide he looked tearful.

"Someone tried to destroy the guild!" Happy cried.

Erza stopped walking at this news, pausing for barely half a second before breaking into a run. Gray followed, but as I was weighed down by Natsu I asked,

"Happy, help me out?"

Happy flew around me, sinking his claws into Natsu's vest, and hoisted him into the air. With Natsu and Happy floating along behind me, I ran after the other two.

A minute later I skidded to a halt outside The Guildhall. Happy dropped the mostly recovered Natsu back on his feet, all three of us looking up at the plastic lettering over the doors of the pub.

There were massive spaces between the plastic lettering that hadn't been ripped off, and it'd clearly been left that way on purpose. The word 'hell' spelled out over the doors wasn't very comforting, though the scorch marks on the doors didn't help the ominous look of the pub.

Natsu clamped a hand over his mouth as he strode forwards, clearly still feeling sick but filled with determination. He shouldered his way through the Guildhall's doors, Happy and I on his heels, all three of us stopping just inside the pub to survey the damage.

There was still people drinking and laughing, but they were all crowded around the few tables still standing. Most of the tables and benches had been snapped in half or reduced to sawdust. The mirrors behind the bar had been smashed, and there was a large hole blasted through the bar itself. Mira was sweeping up sawdust, while Jet and Droy more collecting up the larger pieces of table scattered over the floor.

We can't have missed the attack by more than an hour.

Erza and Gray were talking to Jellal, and Natsu stormed over, interrupting their conversation as he yelled,

"What the hell happened?"

Happy and I followed Natsu, drawing level with Erza and Gray who were both looking at me.

"Some dark guild lackies came in looking for Lucy," Jellal explained, "I reckon they were just scouts who thought they'd try and do something impressive. They shot a hole in the bar and everyone got a bit carried away teaching them a lesson. You know Fairy Tail and alcohol."

There was a loud clunk as Jet and Droy both dropped armfuls of wood, running up to us excitedly.

"Is Levy with you?" Jet asked.

"We just got back from a mission," I said.

Droy seemed dissapointed but none the less enthusiastiuc,

"Man, we were so awesome in that fight! I wish she was here to see me in action - I'd clearly be the best subject for her research."

Jet shoved into him,

"As if! You summoned a few plants. I ran circles around them!"

Droy snorted,

"Ran around like a headless chicken more like."

"You—" Jet lunged at his friend, tackling him to the floor where they both rolled around, wrestling.

I thought I saw Jellal roll his eyes as he turned his back on them. He grimaced at me, looking solemn,

"We saw them off no problem Lucy, but you should take care. I'm sure they'll still looking for you."

Natsu cracked his knuckles,

"If there's gonna be a fight around Lucy, I'll walk her home. Gotta pay those guys back personally for trying to take on Fairy Tail!"

He turned away, marching towards the doors yelling,

"I'm all fired up now!"

Grey's eyes met mine, and both of us smirked, though we broke eye contact quickly at a shriek containing the words, 'LOVE RIVAL'.

* * *

Natsu, Happy and I stopped at a grocery store on the way back. They were complaining about being hungry the moment we left The Guildhall.

I offered him dinner since he was coming back to my apartment, and Natsu offered to cook. I don't think he wanted to risk going hungry again because of my cooking.

We got back to my apartment with bags full of food, and Natsu immediately got to work, dragging out a chopping board and picking through my kitchen draws in search of a knife.

I retreated into my room when Happy began pouring rice into a pan. I wasn't entirely sure the furball could cook, and if I was around I was bound to get blamed for any kitchen fires. Sure Natsu would swallow the flames no problem but I could do without Happy berating me all evening.

I spent half an hour relaxing in a hot bath, but the smell of Natsu's cooking tempted me out of the water a lot sooner than usual.

After changing into pyjamas, I followed my nose out into the sitting room. Natsu was sat at the table, digging into a mound of curry and rice. Happy gave me a short wave from the table top, busy ripping chunks of grilled fish off the mackrel Natsu had bought him.

The fire they'd lit in my absence had warmed the winter wind out of my apartment, and it made the whole room feel cosy alongside the smells of a homecooked meal.

"Looks good," I said, walking over to the stove where they'd left the remaining curry.

"It's my Dad's recipe." Natsu said around a mouthful of food. "He said the spice used to feed the fire in his belly."

I got out a plate, ladling curry and rice onto it with a smile,

"So 'being fired up' is a family thing?"

Natsu paused, and deflected my question with one of his own,

"Speaking of family, did you ever get taught how to cook?" I glared at him over my shoulder,

"My cooking isn't that bad!" Natsu held up his hands in surrender,

"I was only asking cause I didn't think it was necessary. Don't you have people doing that for you in a mansion?"

I took a fork from the cutlery draw and walked over to the table,

"What makes you think I live in a mansion?" Natsu snorted,

"Well I guessed back when you found Taurus's key. You told me about your Dad payed people to drag you back home? Jobs like that don't come cheap when you hire a dark guild. Plus, isn't it a rich people thing to try and marry their kids off."

I stabbed at a piece of meat, frowning down at my plate,

"It's not a marriage, it's more of a business transaction. But it doesn't matter, I'm a Fairy Tail mage now, he can't drag me back home."

I stuck the forkful of curry in my mouth, smiling over at Natsu. He grinned back at me,

"Damn right he can't!"

I choked, half because Natsu sounded so sincere, half because the curry was so unbelievably spicy.

I swallowed quickly, my mouth burning as I ran to the fridge for some milk.

Ripping the cap off I chugged back a few mouthfuls from the carton, breathing a sigh of relief as my mouth stopped burning.

"Can I have some?" Natsu asked.

"Me too!" Happy shouted.

I nodded, opening my cupboards in search of two glasses and a bowl.

Clearly not wanting to drop the subject, Happy asked loudly,

"So is the reason you can't cook is because you had servants doing everything for you?"

I scowled, putting two glasses and a bowl down on the counter,

"Spetto taught me the basics."

"Who's Spetto?" Natsu asked.

I grimaced, knowing what was coming,

"Spetto's the head house keeper."

"So you _did_ have servants doing all your cooking?!" Happy shouted.

I spun around, trying to think of something to shout back, but my expression just made Happy and Natsu laugh.

Jerks.

* * *

Natsu ended up staying to watch a movie.

We each took a sofa to lie back on, and Happy stretched out in front of the fire, yawning loudly for half the movie, and falling asleep before it ended.

Natsu seemed really reluctant to wake him (apparently Happy not sleep talking was a sign he was comfy) so I offered to let his cat stay the night.

I let Natsu out of my apartment and he walked back to the Guildhall, leaving his cat snoring in the warmth.

I put a note next to Happy explaining where Natsu was and got into bed, though I realised as I got under my covers that I didn't know if the cat could read as well as talk.

It couldn't have been more than half an hour, just when I was on the verge of sleep, that I heard a knock on my window.

A nagging feeling pulled at my stomach as I sat up, drawing back the curtain to see a familiar hand raised above the window ledge, preparing to knock again.

I unlocked my window and pushed it open, sticking my head out to see Natsu hanging from the windowsill outside.

He grinned at me casually, like he was greeting me at my front door instead of hanging off the side of my building.

I looked down at the street below, checking it was free of people and whisper shouting,

"What the heck are you doing?!"

"Hey Lucy."

Using my name cannot be a good sign.

"What d'you want?" I asked.

"Any chance I could come in?"

He flexed the fingers still gripping onto my window ledge, but I didn't get out of the way just yet,

"What happened to going back home?" Natsu scowled,

"Gray and Juvia are getting it on in the room next to mine. I can't really sleep with them being so loud next door. Could camp on your sofa?"

I hesitated a moment then sighed, falling back against my pillows so there was room for him to climb in.

Natsu hoisted himself inside, accidentally stepping on my stomach as he climbed from the bed to the floor.

"Sorry," he whispered, "sorry...thanks for this. I'll be in the sitting room."

And he was. For all of fifteen minutes.

I was on the verge of dropping off to sleep when my door creaked open.

The fire was still glowing in the sitting room, illuminating Natsu's silhouette as he trudged in slowly.

"You okay?" I asked, watching as he stumbled towards my bed.

He came to a halt right next to my bed.

I barely had time to register he was topless before he picked up the corner of my bedcovers.

I pushing myself back against the wall, staring at Natsu got into bed beside me, tucking the bedsheet around him.

"Natsu?!" I snapped, pulling the covers off him.

He let out a loud snore.

I thumped him in the stomach, trying to ignore how my hand had bounced off a very solid set of muscles.

Wait, why should I ignore that? It's just an observation.

Natsu snored louder.

Maybe antagonising him would wake him up? I lent over him, inches from his ear,

"Ice magic is sooo much better than fire magic."

"What did you say to me Ice Princess?" Natsu mumbled, clearly still asleep, but apparently able to swing a punch towards the sound of my voice.

I pulled away just in time, his punch catching my chin instead of my cheek. It was a drowsy punch but it was still a Natsu punch, so it hurt like hell.

Bracing my feet on the wall, I threw my weight against his midsection, shoving him out of bed unceremoniously.

He rolled off bed and hit the floor, finally jolting awake and sitting bolt up right.

He looked around in disbelief, blinking blearily up at me, apparently confused,

"What're you—? Why am I—?"

"You were trying to sleep in my bed!"

Natsu ran a hand through his hair,

"Damn...I forgot about sleep walking."

I stared at him,

"Does sleep walking usually make you get into other people's beds?!"

Natsu got to his feet,

"Yeah! I usually lock my bedroom door cause I kept wondering into Gray's bed. It got really awkward when Juvia was in with him. You need to get a lock on your door!"

"You say that like you're gonna sleep here every time Gray has Juvia over! You can't just crash my apartment whenever Gray and Juvia are enjoying each other's company!"

Natsu stared at me, wide eyed,

"Trust me, you do not make those sorts of noises if you're just 'enjoying someone's company'!"

There was a banging on the floor.

The landlady clearly wasn't impressed by our arguing. I looked at my clock. It was ten past midnight.

I lowered my voice, waving my hand at him,

"Just go back in the sitting room."

Natsu got up quickly and walked out, closing my bedroom door behind him.

Ten minutes later, Natsu was asleep, and he was also opening my bedroom door like a zombie.

I decided to get out of bed.

If Happy came in tomorrow morning and found us sharing a bed, he'd spread it around Fairy Tail and I'd never hear the end of it from the whole Guild.

I skirted around Natsu, who promptly walked over to my bed and got under the covers.

In the sitting room the fire was now glowing embers, so I grabbed a blanket from my cupboard before curling up on one of the sofas. Thankfully, Natsu stayed sound asleep in my bed, but where Natsu was a sleep walker, Happy seemed to be a sleep talker.

Almost every hour I jolted awake by his call of 'aye sir!' or 'let's get em Natsu!'.

The only good thing about the morning, waking up after so little sleep, was that I woke to the smell of bacon.

I'd slept with a cushion for a pillow, but my neck still ached as I raised my head, squinting in the morning light that was shining through open curtains.

I wanted more than anything, to get into back into my bed and go to sleep, but since our mission had been canceled I needed to catch a morning shift at the guild. Rent was due in a week.

I sat up, rubbing my eyes. Happy was lying lazily up on top of the fridge, while Natsu cooked at the stove. My soul mate was still topless, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a spatula in the other.

I found myself staring at his back muscles, his shoulders flexing slightly as he tended to the bacon in the pan.

I'd never have thought after just a month of finding my soul mate, I'd wake up to him cooking breakfast in my apartment, topless and looking very hot with messy bed hair.

I gave myself a little shake.

What the heck am I saying?! His bed hair didn't look any different from his normal messy hair style.

I mean sure, it probably looked better then the crows nest I had to brush out every morning, but that didn't mean Natsu's hair was amazing. Alright, so he's an attractive guy, but— I'm just hung up on him cause he's my soul mate, I don't actually think—

I shook the thought out of my head.

Feeling grumpy, both at myself and because of so little sleep, I called,

"Sleep well?"

Natsu turned around and grinned at me sheepishly,

"Er, yeah...you?"

I didn't answer, forcing my eyes away from his bare chest, and focusing on getting to my feet.

There was a renewed fire crackling in the grate, so shoving my blanket off me wasn't as hard as getting out of bed usually was. I tried not to use the heating to save money.

Irritated at how nice that felt, I trudged towards my bedroom, wanting to get changed before breakfast.

* * *

Showering and dressing quickly, I walked back out into the sitting room to find Natsu sat at the table, breakfast laid out for the both of us. Happy was sat on the table, half way through another raw fish, and Natsu looked done with what I assumed was his second helping of breakfast.

The bacon and eggs were as tasty as his dinner yesterday, though thankfully a little gentler on my tongue without the ridiculous amount of curry spice.

I got a text from Levy while I was buttering some toast.

It was a little garbled, owing to what I'm sure was enthusiasm, but she was apparently desperate for me to get Natsu to the Guildhall so she could test out a new theory.

This cheered my up a bit. I hadn't seen her last Sunday, what with being at the train station so early, and the thought of watching Natsu navigating one of her tests made me smile. I couldn't have dreamed up better payback.

After stacking the dirty dishes we left for the guild, walking a little quicker than usual, and arriving just before the start of my shift.

Levy greeted us at the door, grinning from ear to ear as she ushered us inside.

The bar was mostly empty, the broken tables and chairs now cleared away, and it looked oddly spaceous without them. My stomach sank slightly as I remembered it was kind of my fault, but it plummeting even lower as Levy told me to stand just inside the door. I'd planned on watching Natsu struggle through her experiments, not being a lab rat myself.

True, I didn't particularly have to do anything, but I also didn't get to see Natsu do something ridiculous for the sake of science.

Levy was trying to establish the distance Natsu and I needed to be apart for our dragon slayer senses to focus on other things.

Natsu needed to stand almost behind the bar, a good 20 ft away from me, before his senses started working.

Levy seemed pleased about this, and made him sit at the furthest table from the bar, apparently determined to see my own slayer senses in action while I worked in the kitchens.

Lisanna was cooking at the stove when we walked through the kitchen door. She still didn't seem as bouncy as when I'd first met her, but her smile was no longer looked pained, and she didn't look tearful. Once she was done cooking, she seemed eager to help with Levy's experiment.

Levy tried to get me to magically meditate before I washed dishes.

Despite her commands to breath in and out slowly, I wasn't smelling, feeling or hearing anything differently. After several minutes of breathing slowly I gave up.

By the time Lisanna had hopped up on the counter beside the sink, breakfast plate on her lap, I was elbow deep in soapy water.

"I don't know if it's a case of relaxing." Lisanna said, when Levy appealed to her for advice. "Natsu always said it was just like spreading his magic from his insides to his surroundings, like a kind of sonar."

Levy nodded animatedly,

"That makes sense. From what I was reading, to tap into dragon slayer senses you need to be one with everything. That's why I thought about meditating, but then again magic is fuelled by emotion. So maybe relaxation isn't the answer." Lisanna grinned,

"Yeah, well with huge magical cores, dragon slayers are meant to be really emotional people. Maybe they need to feel a particular way before they can use slayer senses?"

I stared at Lisanna,

"I'm sorry, dragon slayers are emotional? Are you telling me Gajeel likes watching sappy movies and cries at Marley and Me?"

Levy rolled her eyes,

"Gajeel's in touch with his emotions. He writes songs."

"He writes bad songs," Lisanna corrected.

"You just don't like jazz music," Levy said, holding her head a little higher defensively.

"And you just like Gajeel," I said, smirking as her face went pink.

She waved her hand at me,

"Just try the magic spreading thing. See if you can hear Natsu and Gray arguing or something."

"I'm good thanks. I don't want to hear too many details about what Gray and Juvia were up to last night."

"What happened last night?" Lisanna asked.

I hestitated. I didn't feel entirely comfortable with telling Natsu's ex girlfriend about it, but what else was I gonna say?

"Natsu climbed up to my window last night," I explained, "he said he could hear two of them going at it through the wall of his bedroom. He couldn't get to sleep, so he came over to my apartment and slept on the couch instead."

Lisanna looked gobsmacked, and I knew by her tone that she was concerned instead of hurt,

"Does your bedroom door have a lock?" I shook my head, grimacing as she asked. "He didn't sleep on the couch did he?"

"Wondered in my room like a zombie. He got under the covers, and I tried to wake him up by impersonating Gray. Not only did he stay asleep but he punched me in the face. I kicked him out, and he went back into the sitting room, but the second time he came in I decided to sleep on the sofa. Happy kept me waking me up though, yelling in his sleep, so I only got a few hours."

Lisanna grimaced at me, pityingly.

I was glad she didn't resent me for Natsu crawling in through my window, and I was also a little proud of how she was talking casually about Natsu. No doubt Mira's been working her magic on her sister.

"So dragon slayer senses," Levy said, dragging us back to her research, "do they ever get used instictively? Like sleepwalking or something?"

Lisanna shrugged,

"No idea. Far as I'm aware they're a background thing. I didn't even know soul mates interfered with them."

"I haven't found any references to it," Levy said, looking at me for answers.

"I didn't know until Aquarius tried to drown Natsu yesterday."

The girls shot me inquisitive looks. I grinned at them,

"Go ask Happy for the story. I bet he's spreading it round the guild right this second."

* * *

Levy let me off trying out dragon slayer senses while I worked.

As I'd only had few hours sleep, she thought my range might be smaller, and wanting to get only the best data she settled for just chatting until my lunch break.

I was so tired when midday rolled around that I asked Mira to wake me when my break was over, heading downstairs for a nap on one of the couches. The room was thankfully empty and quiet, and I lay down comfortably on the biggest sofa I could find.

I fell asleep so quickly that when I came to I felt a bit disorientated.

I realised dimly I'd woken up on my own, not because someone was shaking me awake, and the previous silence of the room had gone.

There was a blanket over me, and I could hear the sound of a videogame, virtual gun fire rattling off.

A familiar smokey smell filled my nostrils. It reminded me of the smell in my fireplace before the fire really got going.

When I opened my eyes, most of my view was obscured by pink hair, and I pieced together what was going on.

Natsu was sat on the floor, leaning back against the sofa with Happy curled up on his lap. He was playing a video game on the television, but as I sat up he paused it, looking around,

"Sorry, was this too loud?" He jabbed his thumb at the videogame on the tv and I shook my head, rubbing sleepy dust out my eyes,

"What time is it?"

Natsu put down the controller,

"Before I tell you, Mira ordered me to let you sleep. So you're not late..."

Happy yawned and stretched on Natsu's lap, saying sleepily,

"It's just after 4..."

I'd missed most of my afternoon shift!?

I swung my feet off the sofa and stood up,

"I've got to get back upstairs."

Natsu pouted at me,

"No, pretend to still be sleeping! Avoid work with me."

"What work are you avoiding? It's a bit early for patrol isn't it?"

Natsu shrugged,

"I've got some English homework due first period tomorrow."

"And you've left it this late, because...?"

He rolled his eyes,

"We're not all nerds Luigi. I'm dyslexic, and I don't like the subject. It's not top of my list of priorities."

"Doesn't leaving it to last minute stress you out?"

Natsu grinned,

"I'm pretty sure you're the only one who _doesn't_ leave homework till last minute." He looked away from me, unpausing his video game. "Besides, Lisanna used to tutor me. I'm kinda stuck now, doing it on my own."

A slightly awkward silence filled the room.

Happy opened his eyes, still stretched out on Natsu's lap, and looked up at me quizzically,

"You're super good at useless subjects, right Lucy?" I glared at him,

"Languages aren't useless, furball." Happy ignored my tone, getting off Natsu's lap and standing up on two legs, his front paws resting on my shins. He stared up with wide eyes, looking very cute and asking hopefully,

"Could you help Natsu? He could help you with your dragon slayer senses?" I crossed my arms,

"Who says I'm having trouble with my slayer senses?" Natsu didn't look up,

"Gajeel was listening to you talking in the kitchen."

He paused the game again and turned around to look at me,

"I could tell you a secret about him y'know. Information on Gajeel and help with your senses...if you help me out. Just this once?"

I knew by his tone this was obviously something Levy would be interested in.

As a good friend, what choice did I have?

* * *

Natsu went to fetch his homework while I went upstairs, finishing the washing up left out for me.

When I came out of the kitchens Natsu was waiting for me, sat at the bar with his homework and Happy out of sight, probably tailing Carla around the guild.

He pushed the novel we were studying and a few sheets of paper across the bar top. I thumbed through a very messy essay plan, and read through the small chunk of essay he'd written so far, letting Natsy wrestle with Gray while I wrote down a few extra points. There seemed to be a few major bits of the book he hadn't read.

When I'd finished writing my notes, I looked up to see him still grappling with Gray. He was probably using his arch-nemesis as an excuse not to come back and work, because shouting his name wasn't doing do much good. In the end I yelled,

"Natsu! Can you and your boyfriend cut it out for a sec?" And Juvia gave me the desired effect of pulling Gray off Natsu, leaving him with no choice but to walk back to the bar.

I tried summerising the bits of the book he'd skipped over, simplifying my explination, and using slang to read between the lines of the most of the flowery language. The problem with this however, was that he tried to write 'the main dude is totally crazy about her' in the first part of his analysis.

"You've got to use academic language." I said. "Writing more formally gives a better impression to the teacher, which will affect your grade."

Natsu wrinkled his nose,

"What, so I gotta say 'in accordance with chapter 12, the theme of affection shifts from platonic to romantic'?" I smiled,

"Exactly!"

"That sounds stupid. Is that how your talk to your servants at home?" I frowned,

"They're not servants, they're family. The house staff pretty much raised me, so it was more like having ten parents."

Natsu raised his eyebrows, asking,

"Did you have a butler?"

I didn't answer, looking back down at my notes as Natsy repressed a laugh. He took off his scarf and folded it over his arm,

"Did the good sir refer to you as Madam?" I scowled at him,

"Very funny, but let's get back to your homework."

Natsu grinned,

"But Madam, I must insist I continue this charade! You are surrounded by so many peasants! For your protection, you must be accompanied by a member of 'house staff' at all times!"

I snatched the scarf off his arm and threw it over his shoulder, scowling,

"Don't be such an idiot."

"I'm not an idiot, I'm right." I snorted,

"No, you're doing everything wrong."

Natsu wrapped his scarf back around his neck,

"What am I doing wrong?"

"Everything."

"Aw, come on, if I spoke 'academically' I could totally get a job as a butler."

It was my turn to laugh now,

"No, you really wouldn't. You'd never get hired at the Heartfelia estate."

"How come?!" I began counting things off on my fingers,

"Your posture is wrong, you're not standing up when you're addressing me, your towel is on the wrong arm, your smiling too much, and you refer to me by the wrong title." Natsu stared at me in disbelief,

"I'm smiling too much?!"

"You're grinning," I explained, "you have to smile politely."

Natsu raised his eyebrows,

"Sounds like your house staff banned fun."

"I just had a different type of fun. I did puzzles and read a lot, since I was home schooled."

Natsu scoffed,

"Still can't believe you've never played truth or dare."

"I did! I've played it with Levy!"

"Okay," he said, "I can't believe you've never played a _real_ game of truth or dare." I scowled at him,

"Oh, so your childhood was just party games 24/7?" Natsu shrugged,

"Well I didn't do puzzles. I played football on weekends with my Dad and older brother, but I wasn't very good. I was more of a runner, hence being in the track team."

"I didn't know you had a brother?" I said.

"He saved my life in the war." My heart sunk a little as Natsu looked down at his homework. "It was his job to get me back home from Fairy Tail. There was an explosion and I blacked out. Woke up in the infirmary. When I went back, all that was left was half of the black scarf Dad had given him."

I paused for a second, lowering my voice slightly.

"...He sounds very brave."

"Yeah," Natsu said, looking up with a smile, "and you never know. Dad might've taken him along for the ride when he disappeared."

I smiled back, wanting to give him a hug but unable to with the bar between us.

"We're gonna find them Natsu." I said determinately. "If my keys can really help, I'll make sure the dragons come back."

Natsu grinned at me,

"I know ya will. If you can keep that angry mermaid round your neck, I'm pretty sure you can handle anything."

I fiddled with Aquarius' key, trying to smile. I really hoped he was right.

* * *

In my first lesson on Monday morning my phone buzzed.

The history teacher was droning on so monotonously most people were already texting under the table, so I didn't feel too bad as I slipped my hand inside my school blazer and pulled out my phone.

 _Natsu:_ Just handed it in! Thanks the help Luigi!

 _Lucy:_ You need to find me a new nickname. Also, where's my information on Gajeel?

 _Natsu:_ One thing at a time. You'll have that when your dragon slayer senses are up to scratch :)

 _Lucy:_ I haven't got time to practise those, I've got work straight after school! Can't you tell me now?

 _Natsu:_ Nope, but I am gonna teach you to use your senses now.

 _Lucy:_ But information on Gajeel will take two seconds, teaching me to use my senses will take all lesson and I've got to take notes!

 _Natsu:_ Luigi you're the only one who takes any notes in history class.

 _Lucy:_ How the heck do you pass any of your classes?

 _Natsu:_ By using my supreme intelligence. Now, dragon slayer senses. I got the hang of em when I was really young so you should find it super easy. What's your magic feel like?

 _Lucy:_ I dunno, warm?

 _Natsu:_ No ya wierdo, I mean what do you imagine when you use it? I always have a fire in my belly, you...

 _Lucy:_ Have a flow of light I guess? The only thing I really have to imagine it for is my whip. I just imagine light flowing down my arm.

 _Natsu:_ Great. So let's say this light comes from a core, right? You need to imagine that core of light spreading out like a sonar.

Trying not to think about the mechanics of Natsu listening with the fire in his stomach, I closed my eyes, picturing a golden light in my chest. Echoing from it I imagined a golden sphere expanding around me, the edge of it ringed in golden light. It seemed to pulse in time with my heart.

 _Lucy:_ Okay, got that. Now what?

 _Natsu:_ Don't try smelling anything, you'll pick up on someone who doesn't wash and it'll be like a kick to the face. Just pick a spot in your sonar, and let your magic feed the sound back to you.

I closed my eyes and wondered how far the sphere could stretch. A bird would be a good start right? I let the sphere expand outside the history block, willing the sound from the trees outside to feed back to me.

There were trees lining the entire quad, and though it was quiet I heard a few chirps, along with a very familiar voice saying,

"Spread out. Heartfelia is somewhere here. Stay under the radar till we've found her, then do as much damage as you want. The more the better. Let's give the council a real field day."

My breath caught in my throat and I opened my eyes. I scrolled through my phone, hurriedly finding the Fairy Hills group text, and typing,

_listen with slayer senses, eisenwald in quad_

I stood up suddenly, my chair grating loudly on the cheap flooring and making the teacher look up. Without offering any explanation I ran from the classroom, my history teacher calling after me as the door slammed and I ran down the corridor.

If they wouldn't attack until they found me, I needed to hide, at least until they saw no reason to not let loose.

I shouldered my way into the nearest bathroom and pulled out my ring of keys, fumbling through them for the right spirit.

"Open, gate of the the lion!"

There was the sound of a doorbell and a puff of smoke appeared at the edge of the sinks.

Loke emerged from his spirit smoke, clad in his smart suit and smiling suggestively at me,

"Hey Beautiful—" I waved my hand fantically shushing him, praying no dark wizards had come running upstairs already.

"Eisenwald is in the quad outside," I whispered, "I heard them say they won't attack until they find me. I texted the others but I need some help hiding. Any ideas?"

Loke's body glowed gold, just like Erza's did when she requipped, and when the light dimmed I saw he'd changed his appearance.

His hair was shorter, his glasses more square, and the ginger cat ears had vanished from his head. He'd changed his clothes into a school uniform, disreagurding the dress code like most of the students here, and replacing the school blazer with a big, green parker jacket.

"We can hide in plain sight," he said, "we'll be safer if we find the rest of your guildmates. If we attack them as one unit, we should be able to finish them in one hit, no problem."

Loke walked over to the bathroom door, poking his head out and checking the coast was clear. Popping his head back inside he asked,

"Know where any of them will be?"

"Natsu and Gray are in the language block but Erza and Juvia have P.E together, so I don't know if they'll have got my message. I reckon we should start with them."

Loke nodded and slipped out of the bathroom.

The two of us tip toed along the corridor, creeping down the stairs and heading towards the building's exit

We didn't hear or meet anyone on the way, but as we reached the door leading outside Loke stopped, peeking through the small window to check if it was clear.

"There's someone out there on gaurd," Loke whispered, "but he doesn't look very strong."

"What do we do?" I asked.

Loke ran a hand through his hair, loosening his school tie and undoing a few buttons on his shirt,

"I'm gonna do what I'm good at, so you can sneak past unnoticed. Call another spirit when you're out of earshot, just to be safe."

"Do what you're good at?" I asked, as Loke checked his reflection in the small window.

Loke winked at me,

"I'm gonna use my charm on him."

"You're gonna flirt with him?" I asked apprehensively. Having personally experienced his 'charms', I was pretty sure he had zero chance of pulling this off.

"Trust me," Loke said, "I'm irresistible."

I stayed back as Loke opened the door, swaggering out into the quad and vanishing from sight as the door swung shut.

After a few seconds I peeked through the window, watching him strut over to a tall, slim man leaning against the wall.

The man had lank, green hair, and was wearing what looked like a purple prison jumpsuit. A glowing, pink, orb, hovered in his hand, but he didn't use it to attack as Loke approached.

Loke walked around him confidently, drawing the man's eyes away from the door I was to about to leave through.

As quietly as I could I pushed down the door handle, edging through the small gap quietly.

"The one you love," I heard the man say to Loke, "she will be in danger come the gathering of winter. Lamia Scale may save the day, if you intervene inappropriately..."

I closed the door quietly, and began edging away from it as Loke drawled,

"The one I love is a long way away right now. I'm here, because I'm more interested in what that crystal ball tells you about this."

Loke moved a finger back and forth between him and the man, keeping his attention as I cross the quad.

"The future does not reveal itself easily," the man said, "I can only tell of obscure details, ideas that reveal themselves to me in the mist. "

"YOU'RE FORTUNE TELLING IS A USELESS PIECE OF GARBAGE!" yelled a voice from over head, and my stomach dropped as I looked around.

Two men, identical in appearance, stood on the roof of the history block, one looking down at their guildmate, the other looking at me.

Both wore red coats, the colour clashing horribly with their bright ginger hair. Both also held a ninja blade in their hand; silver, very sharp, and very real by the looks of it.

Loke ran back from the fortune teller as the twins jumped down onto the quad's tarmac. Loke's body glowed gold again as he changed back into his suit, standing between me and the Eisenwald wizards.

With my keys in hand, I found the gold one that ended in a heart.

"Open, gate of the maiden!"

The sound of the doorbell echoed around the quad as a puff of smoke appeared beside Loke, and Virgo emerged from it, hands raised in a fighting stance.

Both the twins and my spirits launched themselves forwards, running from opposite ends of the quad. The fortune teller waved his fingers over his pink orb and shouted,

"Beware the chains and light!"

I thought what he was saying was a little obvious (Virgo wearing chains, and me being a celestial dragon slayer) but his words made more sense when I saw my spirits attack.

Loke skidded to a halt, throwing out his arms as a blinding arc of light flew like a blade from his hands. Virgo leapt over him, the chains hanging from her cuffs lengthening, growing more and more links as she swung them like whips towards the Eisenwald twins.

Both twins ducked Loke's light, rolling to avoid Virgo's attack, and I saw the fortune teller consulting his orb once more.

With my spirits keeping the twins busy I ran for the fortune teller, pulling my whip from inside my blazer and channeling my magic through it.

Either the fortune teller saw me in his crystal ball or he looked up by chance, either way he looked horrified as the watery rope burst from the handle of my whip.

Tucking the crystal ball under his arm he ran around the quad, skirting the edge of the fight at its centre, but not getting far enough.

I flicked my arm forwards and the watery rope grew longer, snatching at one of his ankles and looping around it. Gripping my whip tightly I pulled, tugging the man off his feet, his pink orb rolling away across the quad.

I ran over as he scrambled up, and he turned around to face me just as I swung my foot between his legs.

He collapsed with a howl, hands covering his groin as he curled up into a ball.

There was a bright burst of light from Loke and I shielded my eyes for a second, looking around with a smile to see my spirits had won their fight.

Both of their ninja knives were in Loke's hands, and both the twins were groaning on the ground at his feet.

Without any danger of me being attacked, Virgo turned to me professionally and bowed with a smile.

"Good morning Princess." She gestured to the twins on the ground. "Would you like these restrained in this location, or tied up to go?"

"I think we should leave them here," I said, looking around for something to tie them up with.

I realised with a jolt in my stomach that students were hanging out the windows of classrooms, gawking as Virgo crouched down and slammed her hands into the ground.

Teachers and students alike watched as the tarmac beneath the three groaning wizards crumbled away, leaving them all lying in a shallow pit. The crumbled tarmac rose into the air and fell back down on them, reforming over their bodies like it'd dried with them lying there.

I had a split second to be amazed at Virgo's work before Loke dived at me.

I flew backwards, Loke on top of me, the ground where I'd just been standing having spontaneously exploded.

Loke got off me, standing up to face the new attacker, but I stayed on the ground, staring ahead of me. The three Eisenwald wizards we'd just defeated were still groaning on the ground, but Virgo and her tarmac prisons now gone. She's not...spirits can't—"

"It's alright," Loke said, guessing what I was thinking, "Virgo just got caught by the blast. If spirits sustain too much damage, we go back to the celestial realm. She'll be perfectly fine."

I breathed a sigh of relief, and got up, standing ready at Loke's side, and looking at our new attacker.

I couldn't quite believe my eyes.

What looked like a grey goblin stood in the entrance to the quad, his round head completely bald which gave him the look of an evil humpty-dumpty. He had pointed ears, slits for nostrils, and a green cloak wrapped around his shoulders. A golden magic circle was glowing at the tips of his fingers.

The tarmac in front of him crumbled, grinding up into grains so small it looked like black sand.

The sand rose, forming a shape like a tidal wave, and Loke suddenly turned on the spot. He pulled me into him and turned around, sheilding me, and I closed my eyes, expecting to feel sand ripping at my skin any second.

Instead, there was the sound of ice crashing against something hard, and Loke pulled away at the sound of the tarmac-sand throwing itself against some kind of bloackade.

A wall of ice had grown up from the floor, splitting the quad in two, the silohette of the sand visible as it threw itself against the wall. There's only one wizard I know that uses ice. And there's only one voice that sounds so excited about the prospect of a fight,

"Sorry we're late," Natsu shouted from somewhere behind me, "thought I'd grab some backup."

I turned around and looked up, seeing Natsu and Gray standing dramatically on the rooftop of the history building. Drama queens.

At the sound of creaking I turned to see cracks in the wall of ice.

Natsu and Gray jumped down from the roof of the building, walking over to us as if there wasn't an evil goblin on the other side of the wave of sand. They didn't even flinch as the ice wall shattered.

The sand reared, but just as it was about to strike it was enveloped in water.

Like a snow globe the sand swirled around, stuck inside the wave that bent over backwards. Aquarius would've been proud of the deluge that slammed down on the goblin, the sand inside the water swirling around him as he tried to swim to the edge of the water.

Juvia let her hand fall to her side, and the water threw itself against the tarmac, washing off the goblin who lay there spluttering, revealing a welcome sight.

Erza, her school shoes now wet, stood over the goblin, and smashed the butt of her sword into his head, knocking him out before he could catch his breath, Juvia and Gajeel stood behind her.

There were cheers from students hanging out the windows and Erza looked around at them, a hard look on her face.

The three of them ran over as Gray raised a hand to the students of Fairy Hills, Natsu giving them a deep bow as the others reached us.

"Quit taking credit and forget about your classmates, " Erza snapped, "the council will take care of them later. Right now we need to make sure Eisenwald is captured."

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

Pulling it out, I saw Levy was calling me, and answered it,

"Hey Levy—" she cut me off, sounding terrified,

"—the Oracíon Seis are storming the academy!" I lowered the phone from my ear, holding it out to the others and putting her on speaker phone,

"If the Oracíon Seis are at the academy, where are you?"

Everyone fell silent, looking down at the phone.

"I'm hiding in a store cupboard," she whispered, "but they're taking everyone hostage...Lu I'm really scared, I can't take on all of them!"

Erza took the phone from me, speaking into it clearly,

"Levy, don't try and attack them on your own. As far as the dark guilds know, your academy doesn't contain any wizards. Stay hidden, and if you're caught, don't fight back. They'll think you're just a student, and they'll want to keep hostages safe until we get there. We'll be there soon, okay?"

"I'm leaving," Gajeel said gruffly, but Erza caught his arm,

"We've got to make sure all of Eisenwald is captured. Master Makarov is at the council, he's not here to protect the students!"

Gajeel actually glowered down at Erza,

"You can handle a few more of the punks that Bunny girl took out in less than a minute."

Erza scowled up at Gajeel, but her usually terrifying stare didn't even make him wince.

"Fine," she said, "go via the guild and pick up some reinforcements. Scout out the situation, we'll want to attack as soon as we get there."

Gajeel nodded and took off, running out of sight.

Erza watched him go, a dissaproving look on her face. I think she knew as well as I did, that Gajeel wasn't going to detour from rescuing Levy.

We needed to finish this fight quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading through another chapter! Just in case ya didn't like it, have a fact; you can't say you've wasted your time if you learned something (completely useless)! Can ya?!
> 
> Leonardo Da Vinci made loads of elaborate marzipan scultures for parties. Guests ended up eating them, which really pissed him off, and he started working in marble so some of his creations remained after being disaplayed.  
> Sounds made up, but it's from a BBC podcast, so it is from a reliable source :P
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
> Hope to see you in the next one :D  
> M


	11. The Natsu Dragneel Fanclub

Above us the rumble of talk from students grew louder. Without the distraction of dark wizards, I could hear people moving around in their classrooms, possibly hoping to come and get some explinations.

Juvia shifted closer to Gray as Erza handed me back my phone. I stowed it away in my blazer, trying to ignore the ominous feeling growing in my stomach.

"Four down," Loke said, eyes skating over the fallen Eisenwald wizards, "how many are left?"

"Eribore still ain't here," Natsu said, "but with Lucy around, I can't find any of 'em with slayer senses."

Recalling what I'd heard with my own slayer senses, I said,

"They were gonna split up. That means they're either waiting to attack, or they're lurking around school."

"Well would ya look at that," said another voice from the roof tops, "she's got boobs _and_ brains."

The chatter of students began to die down as their attention was drawn across the quad. Standing on top of the building opposite was a dark wizard, strolling towards the edge of the rooftop like he thought we were an easy fight.

Clearly he was as stupid as his squarely cut hair.

He smirked as he dramatically stepped off the roof, a magic circle appearing beneath his feet before he could fall, carrying gently him down to the ground.

Finally, someone entered the quad without dramatically jumping from a roof, but they weren't quite what I expected.

"That's a chicken," Natsu said blankly, eyes fixed on the huge, yellow, egg shaped person, waddling across the quad towards their guildmate.

It couldn't be chicken based, it had to be some kind of transformation magic gone wrong. That or maybe a magic potion, if those kinds of things existed.

It was still human sized, wearing a large pair of denim dungarees, but it had a beak, and a red comb like a rooster on top of its head. For its size it had short stubby wings, but the feathers were more like fingers, being able to grasp a staff without trouble. It looked ridiculous on its own, but the end of its staff being on fire made it look unrealistically wierd.

It cawed as it reached its guildmate, square hair nodding at him breifly then flicking his wrist, prompting a ball of light to form in his hand.

Loke let out a breathy chuckle,

"I think Natsu and I can take these guys. You should all go look for the rest with Lucy's slayer hearing."

"You sure?" I asked.

Natsu waved me off with a hand,

"Relax Luigi. If your King of Kittens gets knocked out, I can take both of these guys no problem."

Loke scowled at Natsu,

"If you knew anything about the celestial zodiac, you'd know that I'm actually a lion, and I'm made of stars!"

Natsu scoffed,

"You're a pussy, and you're made of fiery space farts."

Before Loke could retort, Erza rallied Juvia, Gray, and I.

"Come on." She said. "If we move twenty feet away, Lucy can make use of her dragon slayer hearing."

Erza turned on her heel and set off at a run, heading towards the Geography wing of the humanities building.

Juvia, Gray, and I followed, leaving Natsu and Loke still arguing as Erza led the way inside.

We filed into the corridor, but I didn't get a chance to use my slayer hearing. There was an almighty crash from the stairwell, and Erza led the charge towards it.

There was a shriek as we reached the bottom of the stairs, what sounded like wood splintering as a body crashed into the wall, falling to the floor of the first landing.

It was Lisanna, getting slowly to her feet as we sprinted up the flight of stairs. Though she looked like she was in pain from being flung against the wall, she didn't look injured, and grimaced as she caught sight of us.

Her blazer was off, and the sleeves of her shirt rolled up to reveal white, furry cat paws, each sporting a set of very sharp claws. There were white cat ears poking out of her hair, and though she wore tights she'd discarded her shoes, her feet clearly also having transformed into paws.

"Sorry I'm late," she said, "didn't look at my phone till everyone ran to the windows. Met this guy on my way down."

She nodded up the stairs, and we saw someone strolling towards the now empty door frame - the door Lisanna had been thrown through off its hinges and on the floor.

Her opponent was wearing a hoodie printed with a sarcophagus design, his eyes rimmed with dark liner, and black bands were trailing from each of his fingers.

"The Heartfelia girl," sarcophagus mumbled, "excellent..."

He slashed a hand through the air and the black bands around his fingers lengthened, reeling out like my whip and flying towards me. If I hadn't been training with Erza so often I wouldn't have dodged it in time, but instinct forced me to move before my brain could catch up.

I leapt out the way, regretting my choice of direction as soon as I was in the air.

I'd taken a huge leap from the top of the stairs, and didn't manage to clear all of them before I landed, painfully, rolling down the last few steps and tumbling out into the corridor.

As I came to a stop I scrambled to get up, my shoulder throbbing. I heard the sound of Erza's weaponary clashing against metal in the stairwell.

"Gray-sama and I will handle this one!" I heard Juvia shout. "You should all stick together, go find the rest of Eisenwald. We will catch up!"

"Right," I heard Gray say, "I wanna find out exactly what these guys want with Lucy's keys."

There was the snapping sound of ice crystals quickly forming, and next second I saw Erza running back down the stairs, Lisanna jumping the entire flight and landing easily beside her.

I thought I could hear Loke and Natsu still arguing out in the quad, their shouting unintelligable over the sound of combat, but I didn't have time to work out what they were saying because the Erza and Lisanna ran over, skidding to a halt in front of me.

"Lucy?" Erza said expentantly.

"Right," I said, closing my eyes and imagining that gold light in my chest.

Taking a deep breath, I let it spread out around me in a sphere, letting the sphere expand outwards.

The fighting around me roared in my ears like I was in the middle of two battles at once.

I blocked out the sound of Gray and Juvia's battle, but trying to ignore the sound from the quad was much, much harder.

I could block out what Loke was saying, but my ears were filled with the sound of Natsu's fast heartbeat.

I screwed up my face, concentrating on spreading out my sphere of light, ignoring the sound of Natsu's quick breathing, and picking up a kind of squelching sound, very far away.

It was at the very edge of my sphere, if I had to guess it was coming from the track field. Suddenly, as loudly as if he were half shouting in my ear, I heard Erigor snap,

"Stop it Karacka! Sinking into the ground won't help your nerves. Save your magic for the Heartfelia fly."

The squelching sound stopped and a voice I didn't recognise said hurriedly,

"Right boss."

I heard a hestiant intake of breathe, then the unfamiliar voice spoke again,

"...You're sure we shouldn't go back for her Erigor? Now that everyone's fighting,"

Erigor let out a laugh,

"Those Fairy flies know what Heartfelia's worth. If she hears them fighting, she'll do as her friends say and run. When she tries to escape, she'll run right into our hands."

Erigor's voice was suddenly deafened by an explosion from out in the quad.

I wrenched my eyes open, ears ringing as Lisanna and Erza ran over to the door.

I followed them, looking between their heads and expecting to see a new opponent - chicken and square hair were out cold.

Instead, I saw Natsu and Loke facing each other, Loke smirking as Natsu yelled,

"SAY THAT ONE MORE TIME PRETTY BOY!"

"I saaaaid," Loke drawled loudly, "you've got a lot in common with that chicken!"

Loke began making clucking noises, flapping his elbows like chicken wings, and Natsu launched himself forwards. I slipped past Lisanna and Erza and wrenched open the door, running over to them as Natsu swung a fiery fist at Loke's face. Loke caught it easily, but thankfully both of them turned around as I yelled,

"Oy! Will you two save it for our fight with Erigor!"

Natsu wrenched his fist from Loke's grip and crossed his arms, scowling at the ground grumpily.

I heard Erza and Lisanna jogging up behind me as I reached the boys, and as Loke dusted off the shoulders of his green parker I heard him mutter something.

I couldn't make out the words but Natsu clearly got the message, because he spun on the spot to face Loke again. Before either of them could start throwing punches I stepped between them, pushing Natsu back.

"Cut it out." I told him, scowling as Loke smirked triumphantly. I rounded on my spirit, " _both_ of you."

Loke sighed, shoved his hands in his pockets and winked at me,

"Anything for you Beautiful..."

I could see Natsu tense, but thankfully he turned away, flinching as he caught sight of Lisanna and Erza.

Despite all the fighting, the quad suddenly felt incredibly awkward, with Natsu staring resolutely at Erza and Lisanna looking at her feet, her cat ears drooping sadly.

"Nice ears," Loke said to her, his own ginger cat ears reappearing in a burst of gold light.

She looked up at him, and her ears pricked up slightly as she smiled,

"Right back at cha."

Loke grinned, his shoulders slouching in a casually attractive pose, but before he could start flirting Erza spoke up,

"What did you hear Lucy?"

A little uncertain how accurate my ears were, having only used my slayer hearing twice, I tried not to let my voice sound too apprehensive

"I think Erigor and someone else is out on the track field. I don't recognise the other guy, but from the sounds of it his magic involves sinking through the floor."

Without waiting for the okay, Natsu turned tail and broke into a run, yelling over his shoulder,

"Shotgun fighting Eribore!"

A few laughs and some murmuring broke out from the students still hanging out the windows above us.

Loke snorted, staring after Natsu and shaking his head,

"What an idiot."

Lisanna looked away disapprovingly and I glared at Loke,

"What the heck did you say to rile him up?" He smirked,

"Didn't need to say much."

Erza, apparently dissaproving of our lack of focus, broke into a run, shouting over her shoulder,

"Someone stay here and keep the students back, those wizards need restraining!"

Loke jabbed a thumb over his shoulder,

"You guys go, I've got this."

"Thanks," Lisanna and I said together, racing off after Erza. We both glanced at each other, smiling as we heard Natsu's shout of,

"NOW THERE'S A FIRE IN MY BELLY!"

Idiot.

* * *

Taurus was the only key I had left contracted for today, so I opened his gate while we ran.

"Luuuuucy!" Taurus mooed, hooves clopping on the tarmac as he fell into a trot beside us. "What can I do for yooooooou?"

"We've got a fight coming up Taurus. I think this guy can sink through the floor or something."

Taurus grinned at me,

"Well he'll be falling to the floor after my moooooves."

I rolled my eyes, looking away from Taurus as the track field came into view.

Lisanna and I skidded to a halt, Taurus too when he realised we were no longer with him.

Sure, I expected Erigor to be up in the air, but despite the absence of Happy, Natsu was flying too. His legs were engulfed in flames that roared a good few feet below him, making his legs look more like rockets.

Erza was flying behind Erigor, her silver angelic armour gleaming in the morning sunlight, her arms raised as more and more swords began appearing around her.

Erigor had cocoon himself with wind, and was holding a scythe that looked far too large to actually use.

Still he swung it through the air, the blade sending those purple boomerangs of light at Natsu. Natsu dodged the projectiles easily, soaring around and around Erigor, looking for an opening, and throwing balls of fire at him every so often.

"Guess that leaves the other guy to us," Lisanna said, her eyes scanning the track field, "where is he, anyway?"

Thankful that Natsu was so high up in the air I closed my eyes, focusing again on that golden light in my chest, spreading it out aroind me.

I understood why Natsu referred to it as a sonar this time. Though it was more of a feeling than a visible blip in my golden sphere, I could sense something shuffling towards us below the grass.

"He's below ground," I said, "looks like he's coming this way."

"You just tell me where to mooooove," Taurus said.

I raised an arm, pointing ahead to where I felt the blip of movement, but opening my eyes saw nothing there.

Taurus got down on all fours, pressing an ear to the grass, and suddenly raised a white furry hand above his head. He smashed a fist into the ground, his hand sinking through the grass and dirt until he was elbow deep.

Then, like pulling a rabbit from a top hat, he pulled an incredibly fat man out of the earth, holding him by the hair as Taurus stood up straight.

Before any of us could do or say anything more, a magic circle appeared in the man's green hair. He fell from Taurus' grip, another magic circle appearing on the ground below him, which he fell through like water.

I unclipped my whip, channelling my magic through it as Lisanna raised her claws, Taurus unsheathing his axe, all of us ready for a fight. There was a squelching sound behind me and I slashed the whip through the air, hearing a satisfying smack of the whip hitting skin. There was a yelp, but just as I turned around there was another squelching sound, and I only caught sight of green hair dissapearing down through a magic circle.

What followed was a life size version of whack a mole, Taurus swinging his axe, Lisanna pouncing with her claws, and me swinging my whip whenever the Eisenwald wizard popped up out of the ground.

If Virgo hadn't been injured, we'd have caught the guy in seconds, but I didn't know how long spirits took to heal, and I couldn't bring myself to call her for something so petty. With explosions and clashing blades sounding above us, we three were left scrabbling around after a squelching noise.

There was a frustrated yell of pain from above us and I looked up, just in time to jump out of the way, as Erigor's scythe fell through the air. Like some kind of comedy show there was another squelching sound, and just as the Eisenwald wizard popped above ground the scythe's handle smacked into his head. He was knocked out, up to his neck in the grass.

With a sigh of relief Taurus collapsed on the ground, Lisanna and I watching Erigor land as comically as his weapon. His body plummetted to earth, landing so hard on Taurus' lap that the bull let out a high pitched yelp and went up in a puff of spirit smoke.

Erza touched down beside Erigor, breathing heavily but without a scratch on her. She looked up at us,

"Go ahead and meet up with Gajeel. I'll clean up the mess here."

Natsu landed right behind me, so close I had to jump away from him, the ground under his feet bursting into flames from the intense heat still coming off him, the grass making cracking noises as it dried and curled in less than a second.

Natsu was looking very pleased with himself and he cracked his knuckles, flashing me a quick grin before running off in the direction of the school gates. Lisanna and I followed.

It was going to take us a good quarter of an hour to run all the way across town, and I didn't know how much time Levy had, but as we reached the gates I felt half relieved, half outraged.

Wearing black gloves and a drivers cap, Loke was leaning out the drivers window of a black limo, smiling at us as we skidded to a halt beside the car.

"You stole a limo!?" I said, staring at him.

Loke grinning at me,

"Well, we need to get into the academy discreetly. And I didn't steal a limo, I comandeered a vehicle by summoning myself inside it."

"There's no way am I getting in that thing!" Natsu said, taking a step back from the car, "I am not gonna die because that pussy crashed the car!"

"I'm immortal Natsu," Loke drawled, "I can drive anything perfectly."

Natsu began imitating him but Lisanna saw no reason to object, running towards the door in the back and climbing inside.

Knowing it was in fact the fastest way to Levy, I chose to overlook Loke's thievery, pulling Natsu by the arm towards the open car door.

"Can't I just meet you guys there?!" He complained. "I'm gonna get car sick!"

I pulled him on,

"You can't run as fast as Loke can drive, and we need to get to Levy quickly!"

Natsu let out a groan, consenting to be dragged into the back of the limo, and slumping into the seat nearest the door.

The moment I closed the car door Loke took off, driving so fast I was thrown into Natsu's lap.

Apart from making him feel even more sick, it made the atmosphere feel a little awkward - Loke smirking at us in the rearview mirror, and Lisanna sat a few seats away, staring determinately out the window.

"Alright?" Loke called, as I got off Natsu and sat in a seat beside him.

Something in loke's eyes made me think he knew— nothing. He knew nothing. There was nothing to know.

"Trust a playboy to steal a limo," Natsu muttered, hand flying to cover his mouth as Loke swerved violently around a corner.

"This is what all Academy students travel in," I said, "it's the best cover we could get if we want to do things sneakily."

Natsu swallowed hard, removing the hand from his mouth and grumbling,

"Next time, I vote we go in guns blazing..."

* * *

We made it there in a little less than five minutes, and I took comfort in the fact that we'd been hidden from view with the tinted windows.

As we passed through the school gates however, I saw that wasn't necessary. All the security that should be patrolling was missing. Clearly the Oracíon Sies had rounded everyone up, students and staff.

Loke looked at me in the rearview mirror,

"Where's the best place to go Lucy?"

"At the end of the driveway go right," I told him, "that should take us out back to the kitchens."

Loke drove up the long driveway lined with trees, past the small garden of a roundabout where students were usually dropped off, and headed towards the side entrance.

The first people we saw were outside the door to the kitchens. Three figures in long black cloaks, their hoods up to hide their faces.

Natsu was swaying in his seat by now, groaning slightly as I looked at Lisanna.

"Ready?" I asked her.

Her ears went back, and she nodded as I edged towards the door. I didn't wait for Loke to roll to a complete stop, I opened the door and jumped out, channelling magic through my whip as I landed on the gravel.

The water wrapped in gold flew from my whip, and I threw it forwards, watching it wrap around the torso of the nearest figure. I yanked my arm up over my head, and the magic of the whip lifted the man off his feet as though he weighed less than a feather.

He was flung up into the air, at least 30ft off the ground, and I stopped channelling magic through my whip, which dissapeared from around the wizard and left him to fall back to earth.

Loke and Lisanna were handling the other two dark wizards behind me, so I watched my opponent falling through the air, landing with a sickening thud on the ground, not moving.

There was a flash of light from Loke finishing his fight, but I turned in shock as Lisanna's opponent let out a shriek of pain.

The man was on his back on the ground, and Lisanna was sat on his chest, slashing at his face, chest, and arms, ripping his cloak and clothes to shreds. His skin was covered in thin red lines, scratches that were all bleeding steadily. Loke took pity on the wizard and kicked him in the head, knocking him out, and leaving Lisanna to stand up.

She got to her feet, rolling her shoulders and looking down at her victim. I felt a little horrified. If sweet Lisanna caused this kinda damage, I dread to think what her 'she-devil' sister could do.

Natsu stumbled from the open car door, looking grumpy at having missed a fight, one hand on his stomach,

"I really hate your spirits Luigi."

Loke huffed indignantly but I walked over to Natsu, pulling one of his arms over my shoulders, and letting Loke lead the way through the door to the kitchens.

Inside, the large kitchen was empty, though there were still fires flickering beneath the stone bake ovens. The staff had obviously only just been rounded up.

Natsu pulled his arm from my grip as he spotted these, falling to the floor and crawling over to the closest oven, opening its door. He let out a long breath, and for a second I thought it was a sigh of relief, but then he sucked in air sharply.

To my amazement the fire from the oven got sucked up into his mouth, the flames dissapearing down his throat like water down a plug hole. It was a lot wierder than watching him suck flames off a lighter.

He stood up, apparently no longer feeling sick and grinned at me, patting his stomach,

"Tha's better. Fire in the belly fixes everything." He burped, and a small amount of smoke came out his mouth. He clenched his fists excitedly. "You guys stay 20 ft behind me, I'll sniff out metal head."

And before anyone could stop him, Natsu ran across to one of the doors and disappeared through it.

Lisanna, Loke and I shared a look then ran off after him, all hoping that Natsu remembered we were trying to stay stealthy until the rest of the guild got here.

The door Natsu had gone through led out into one of the staff hallways. The walls and floors were pannelling in dark oak, like the corridors the students used, and the place smelt nostalgically of shoe polish.

The familiarity of the halls Levy and I had crept around at night seemed to take the edge of the feeling of danger, but then it was unsettling to see each corridor we walked down empty in bright day light.

Lisanna followed Natsu as a distance, Loke behind her, and then me at the rear. It gave Natsu the best shot at using his slayer senses, and I hoped he wouldn't be bothered by my heartbeat if I kept my distance.

Every so often he took cover in an empty room, and we has to scurry along quickly, hiding just in time as cloaked figures walked past on patrol.

We'd been creeping around for about ten minutes when Natsu stopped outside the maths store room, opening it with a grin. His grin fell however as soon as he saw what was inside.

My stomach dropped uncomfortably and I ran past Lisanna and Loke, pulling the cupboard door wider so I could see inside.

Levy was unconscious, strung up off the ground. Her arms were pinned above her head by metal bars, screwed into the shelves by the black cloaked wizard now facing us.

I made to leap at him but Natsu's hands fastened on my shoulders, holding me back while the wizard threw his hood off,

"Calm down Bunny girl, I'm under cover."

Levy suddenly opened her eyes at Gajeel's words, apparently perfectly concious,

"Lu?"

Gajeel ripped off her metal restraints off, and Levy fell on her feet, running towards me and throwing herself at me in a hug.

"You called?" I asked jokingly, hugging her back.

Levy let out a shaky laugh and drew back, smiling at Lisanna and Loke. Natsu eyed Gajeel's cloak,

"What's with the get up?"

Gajeel snorted,

"What do I look more like to you? Part of a dark guild, or a bratty heir to the throne." He glanced at Levy. "Not that you're like that shrimp."

"That's real cute but let's skip the flirting," Loke said, as if that wasn't the most hypocritical statement in the world, "let's get on with saving the day, shall we?"

I grinned at Levy who went slightly red, but as I tried to move I almost fell over. My foot seemed to have sunk through the floor.

The wood beneath my feet was liquifying, and though I stepped back I couldn't pull my foot out.

Natsu looped his arms around my waist and tried to pull me out, everyone else looking up as a man walked into view at the end of the corridor.

If it weren't for the mane of ginger hair (and huge moustache), the clothes he wore beneath his black cloak might've given him the appearance of a priest. He wore red prayer beads around his neck, and was dressed in the male version of a Nun's habit. That said, his clearly artifical square face, flagged up a load of 'bad guy' markers in my book.

He raised an arm threateningly, clearly ready to liquify the entire corridor.

"Hand over Heartfelia, or harm shall come unto the heirs of Fiore."

To my surprise Lisanna was the first to move, running fowards and putting herself between me and the ginger priest, her paws raised for a fight. Levy and Loke followed suit, Natsu continuing to try and tug my free of the floor as the priest said,

"Very well."

Natsu let go of my waist, swinging a firey fist at the floorboards, clearly trying to blast it apart. Instead of shattering the wood, his hand was swallowed by the liquifying floor, leaving him stuck.

Loke picked up both Levy and Lisanna, Levy shouting,

"Solid script, RAFT!"

But I never saw if it had any effect.

In the blink of an eye I saw a flash of movement, and felt an arm wrapped around my waist. Someone pulled me out of the floor and threw me over their shoulder, and my vision began to blur as the person holding me seemed to run at super speed.

The person holding me stopped so fast, I only realised we'd stopped moving when I'd been dropped onto marble flooring. I forced myself to my feet, a little unbalanced after abduction by a human roller coaster, and not fast enough to dodge the arm that came from behind me.

I was pulled back against someone, their arm pressing over my throat, their other hand pinning my elbow up behind me so I couldn't move.

I could barely turn my head, but I recognised the side room we were in. I also noticed the lack of wieght in the pouch on my belt, telling me my gate keys had been taken.

Looking down my nose, I saw they were in the hand of a man with a pointed face. He was swinging the ring of keys around on his finger like a hoola hoop, looking boredly at the two women next to him.

I couldn't see anything of the figure behind me, but the three figures in front of me all wore black cloaks.

Pointy face wore colourful motorbike leathers under his, and he was looking at the girl next to him as if waiting for instructions. The girl had white hair, and wore a feathery dress beneath her cloak. Though she smiled at pointy face, she all but ignored her last companion, a nervous looking girl with purple hair, who was looking at her feet.

The white haired girl slowly strode towards me, drinking me in like a villian from those superhero movies Natsu likes.

"I must say," she said her eyes locked with mine, "I thought Eisenwald disobeying orders and attacking out of the blue was rather stupid. But I suppose from their destruction comes our salvation."

The girl reached me, standing a little to close for comfort, and showing me a small gold object.

"Now...you're going to get this key to work for me, aren't you Miss Heartfelia?"

I stayed silent, pulling against the grip on my elbow.

The girl smirked, her eyes flicking up to the person holding me,

"Cobra? I think Miss Heartfelia needs some encouragement."

In the first second I felt the pain, I thought 'Cobra' had broken the arm twisted up behind my back.

Even if he had, I wouldn't have heard the crack of my bones breaking, because the pain was so great and so sudden I let out a scream.

I tried to tug my arm away from Cobra's grip but I couldn't move it. It was pain like I'd never felt before. My arm wouldn't move, it was like it'd been paralysed and the pain half was blinding me as I screwed up my eyes.

It was like my flesh was splitting apart beneath my skin, Cobra's magic coursing through my veins like needles.

"You're going to give Gemini to me," I heard the white haired woman say, "then you're going to hand over the rest of your spirits."

When I didn't speak up to agree, the viscious pain crept up from my arm into my shoulder, and hand fisting in my hair tugging until I opened my eyes.

The woman shook the key pointedly in my face, and through gritted teeth I grunted,

"No."

The woman nodded at the person holding me.

The hand twisting my elbow behind me vanished, but my arm fell limply at my side, useless and throbbing painfully.

I cried out as I felt Cobra grasp my other arm, and tears began rolling down my cheeks as I yelled,

"I won't give up my spirits!"

The woman laughed,

"Come now Heartfelia, Cobra's poison won't kill you for hours yet. Save yourself a little pain."

I didn't manage to hold back a scream as the pain shot up my arm, past my shoulder, and down my back. I screwed up my eyes, feeling a desperate kind of fury welling up inside me. It was like determination but the pain made if feel volitile, alive in my chest.

"Are you sure you can keep up that determination Miss Heartfelia?"

Miss Heartfelia this, Miss Heartfelia that, it was like being at one of Father's parties - on show, an object, a weapon of business, part of the Heartfelia's fortunes.

The woman slapped me around the face, saying in a sing songy voice,

"I'm waiting Heartfelia."

My _name_ is Lucy. Is that so hard for everyone to understand?!

The anger in my chest seemed to explode, dulling the pain in my arms and back as a blinding light flashed in the room.

I closed my eyes, Cobra's grip on my arm and neck vanishing, light still flooding through my closd eyelids as I fell to my knees, my arms swinging uselessly at my side.

I felt a warmth, a heat that burnt away needles of pain, like a hot bath on cold skin. I could feel the heat clensing me, and as I opened my eyes, I saw golden glitter on my skin, the same glitter that I'd seen the night of the latern festival.

I looked around the room, squinting as the bright light coming from the glitter on my skin reflected off the shining marble floors.

All four of the Oracíon Seis had been thrown back against the walls. I saw the white haired woman getting to her feet with something like horror in her eyes.

My keys lay on the floor, the motorcyclist having dropped them after being flung into the wall.

I tried to crawl towards my keys but fell flat on my face, my arms paralysed, unable to break my fall.

There was a cacophony of doorbells, all echoing around my room and I was engulfed in a massive cloud of spirit smoke.

Every single one of my spirits appeared, Plue appearing over by my keys and picking them up, running back towards me while I lay on the floor.

Strong, gentle hands gripped my shoulders, pulling me back up into a kneeling position, and looking around I felt my heart leap.

For once I was glad to see Aquarius looking so pissed off.

Keeping one hand on my shoulder, and her vase standing upright on the ground, she threw her other hand forwards, splaying her fingers out towards the white haired woman.

The woman began to run across the room, the marble beneath her feet cracking, and water forced itself up through them, seemingly from the pipes below. Aquarius used the building's plumbing to throw the woman off her feet, letting water pin her to the floor as my other spirits attacked the reminaing Oracíon Seis members.

I tried to see what was going on, saw the nervous girl hidden behind a man I assumed to be Cobra, saw Loke clock motorbike man in the face.

My vision swayed slightly. Thanks to training with Erza, I knew I was way past my magical limit, but I didn't dare give up with four Oracíon Seis members around.

My ears suddenly filled with a heartbeat that wasn't my own, and I heard a familiar voice yell,

"LUCY!"

The door burst open, and I saw a blur of pink above a white strip that had to be Natsu's scarf.

I smiled. It was safe. I fell sideways. I was out cold before I hit the floor.

* * *

Bedsheets were under me. Every muscle in my body was throbbing.

"So no one knows about the tower of heaven?" I heard a male voice ask.

"No," Erza said, "no one except the veterans and Makarov, but—"

"Wait—" the male voice said "—she's coming round."

I opened my eyes.

It took a few seconds to recognise the ceiling of Fairy Tail's infirmary. I tried to move my arms, and though they felt like lead I could move them, use them to search for my pouch of keys.

"They're on your bedside table," Erza said softly, getting to her feet and walking over.

I turned my head to check, then looked around at her, my stomach dropping.

The bed beside mine held a familiar occupant, the nervous Oracíon Seis girl and the man sitting in the chair at her bedside was Cobra.

"Erza," I started, but she held up a hand,

"It's alright Lucy. Erik and Kinana aren't who you think they are."

Cobra, Erik, grimaced apolagetically,

"Sorry about the poison. The Seis made it clear it was either you or Kinana. No offence, but I couldn't choose you."

Erik ran his free hand over a tattoo of a snake, wrapped around his upper arm, and standing out darkly against his skin. The tattooed arm itself was occupied, his hand clasping Kinana's, who I noticed had an identical tattoo on her wrist. Oh.

"Nice healing powers you've got there," Erik said.

I looked down at my arms, not wanting to raise them but pleased that I could move them if I wanted.

"Porlyusica's pretty amazing," I said.

Erza frowned at me,

"Porlyusica didn't do anything." Erik shrugged,

"Well someone used healing magic on her. My poison kills people in hours, and she's clearly alive."

I stared at him, opening my mouth to ask questions, but the door banged open before I could find my voice.

Natsu stormed in, Happy on his heels as he strode over to my bed, scowling heavily,

"How many times are you gonna end up here Luigi?"

He crossed his arms, but relaxed them instantly as Erza addressed him.

"Is everything cleared up then?" She asked.

"Everything except the limo," he answered, "no one knows where Lucy's play boy got it from."

I glared at Natsu,

"Loke is not my play boy."

Natsu smirked at me, flopping down in the chair beside my bed as Erza strode across the room.

"I have to speak to Master Makarov," she said importantly, "I shall see you all later."

She left, and as soon as she was out of sight Natsu put his feet up on my bed, Happy jumping into his lap.

"What's were you talking about?" I asked.

"The rune knights are making sure magic is kept a secret. Damages to buildings are being fixed, and students have had their memories wiped, but Erza went and made me messenger boy for them so she could come here."

I frowned at him,

"Who are the Rune knights?"

Happy sat up a little straighter,

"They're kinda like the council's army, but that's not important. Gray got some important info outta an Eisenwald wizard."

"Oh yeah," Natsu said, leaning forwards, "apparently, the Oracíon Seis were looking to open something called Nirvana. It's a cage that was locked seven years ago, by a celestial mage and the twelve zodiac."

"My Mum," I muttered, my hand going to Aquarius' key, still strung around my neck. A thought struck me as I traced the symbol on the fob of her gate key,

"But that can't be right. I had Aquarius' key when my Mum died. How can Aquarius have helped lock Nirvana, if Mum didn't have her gate key."

Natsu shrugged,

"Levy has a theory. That new key you got from the Seis? Apparently it can replicate the form of someone. If it transformed into your Mum, when she had Aquarius' key with her—"

"—Then all twelves spirits could be there..." I finished.

I digested this, going over a few more details in my head.

"My Mum..." I said slowly. "She locked away Acnologia...do you think that's connected with the rest of the dragons dissapearing?" Natsu grinned excitedly,

"Levy's got a theory on that too. From what she found out in the library, Nirvana isn't just a cage - it's a magical machine. It's meant to balance good and evil, but Levy doesn't think it can make something out of nothing. Like, if it turns something good, it'll turn something else in the world evil. She thinks, the rest of the dragons are stuck in the machine with Acnologia. S'pose if it were just him in there, and the machine got turned on, five dragons going dark side is better then one evil, all-powerful dragon?"

I frowned, not entirely sure, but any more conversation on the matter was cut short as the door to the infirmary opened again.

I heard Porlyusica before I saw her, Happy leaping into the air in fright as she shrieked,

"GET YOUR FEET OFF THAT BEDSPREAD YOUNG MAN, AND GET OUT OF MY INFIRMARY!"

* * *

After spending the entire day and night, resting under Polyusica's care, I'd managed to make it to school on Tuesday - despite every muscle in my body aching. When I got to school however, I realised Natsu hadn't been quite right to say that the student's memories had been wiped.

Instead, Fairy Tail students had become over night celebrities.

Most of the school obviously knew about Fairy Tail's parade at halloween, but I guess they hadn't recognised any of us that had participated. Now, with the magic council's memory manipulation, the whole school was raving about the lunch time performance Fairy Tail gave on the track field.

I was a little wary when I walked through the school gates, being congratulated by people I'd never talked to, and patted on the back by seniors for a show I knew nothing about. Understanding came in the form of a large group of giggling girls, about half way between the school gates and main doors.

A senior student led a group of girls charging up to me, most of them encircling me as their leader demanded,

"Is it true?!"

I felt a pit form in my stomach.

"Is what true?" I asked cautiously.

The girl seemed to inflate slightly, as if trying to make herself intimidating,

"Are you Natsu Dragneel's soul mate?"

I stared at her. What the hell was going on?

The girl snatched up my right hand in both of hers, inspecting the pink soul mark tattooed into the skin.

"Oh my god she is!" One of the group squeaked. "She really is!"

The girls crowded closer and they all seemed to draw excited breaths. I felt like a zoo exhibit.

Their leader practically danced up and down on the spot,

"Oh my god you guys are so cute together!" I blanched, pulling my hand back,

"Er, we're not dating." Rather than making them calm down, the girls seemed to get even more excited at this information.

"So he's up for grabs?" One of them asked.

I felt a pit digging into my stomach, and hoisted my bag higher on my shoulder,

"No he's not up for grabs. Natsu isn't a piece of meat." The leader of the group frowned,

"So you like him?"

"Is it unrequainted love?" Another girl gasped.

I shook my head vehemently,

"No, I mean— that's not—" The leader crossed her arms supiciously,

"So you don't dream about having the fire dragon slayer around to keep you warm at night?"

I managed not to splutter but I did stare at the girl, my jaw falling open as one of the girls cooed,

"Oh I'd love to have a dragon to snuggle up to."

I wondered briefly if they'd pass out if I told them he'd been in my bed.

As it was, the girls started yammering about fantasies I did not want to hear about (because I had definately _not_ had a daydream about Natsu stripping like Gray), and I pushed my way through them.

My chest was now aching slightly, a pin that I knew had nothing to do with magical overexertion. Trying to ignore it, and the whispers that cropped up in groups of people as I walked past, I strode towards my first lesson.

* * *

I didn't regroup with any of the Fairy Tail lot until lunchtime.

When I sat down next to Natsu, Erza was explaining to Juvia what exactly was going on.

"It was too much to erase," she said, "the council only had a certain number of memory modifiers on hand. They had to manipulate the memories instead, to conserve magic power."

Juvia slumped against Gray, clearly dissapointed, and Natsu frowned at her,

"What's the matter with you? It's awesome not having to hide magic any more!"

Erza glared at him,

"This doesn't mean you can flaunt it Natsu."

Gray snorted,

"Should've told him that before he put on a show for the class at break."

Erza's eyes widened and I could see her trying to calculate how to handle this in the middle of the cafeteria.

"Juvia does not like this at all," Juvia moaned, "so many love rivals are now swooning over Gray-sama."

I smiled at her sympathetically,

"Yeah, I got ambushed by Natsu's fan club today, they grabbed my hand and went nuts over the whole soul mate thing."

"What did you tell em?" Gray asked.

"That we weren't dating," I said obviously, "but then they started fantasising out loud, it was wierd." I put on a high pitched voice. "Oh I wish I had the fire dragon slayer to keep my warm at night!"

Natsu choaked, coughing intensely as a familiar voice said,

"If it's warmth you want Beautiful, I'm always here."

Loke was stood at the end of the table, clearly having self-summoned, and dressed in our school uniform.

Natsu, having stopped coughing, glared at Loke, looking him up and down,

"How'd you get ahold of those clothes?" Loke rolled his eyes,

"You're not the only one with magic at their disposal Natsu." Loke slid his eyes from me, to Natsu and back again. "You're also not the only one with a fan club, from what I've been hearing."

I frowned up at Loke quizzically. He winked at me,

"From what I hear, a lot of people want to see Lucy in Virgo's costume again."

"THEY WHAT?!" Natsu and I both exclaimed.

I stared at Loke,

"What kind of memory modification did they make?!" Loke smiled,

"Don't worry Beautiful, your dignity is intact. Natsu just isn't the only focus of people wanting to be 'kept warm at night'."

Gray snorted and Natsu got to his feet, spitting,

"What's so funny stripper?!" Juvia frowned at Natsu,

"Juvia wonders why Natsu is so upset. Juvia saw the memory that the council placed in everyone's heads. It was nothing worse than a little fan service."

Natsu stared at Juvia, and Gray smirked at him,

"What's the matter flame brain? That kind of image getting you hot and bothered?"

I was glad Natsu was glaring at Gray, because I was sure my face had gone brick red.

Natsu sat back down, trying to sound casual and failing spectaularly,

"Hot and— you're — what's wrong with getting angry when my soul mate's being objectified?!"

Loke sniggered and Natsu glared at him, but before any fighting could break out Loke stuck his hand inside his pocket,

"Anyway, talking of what really happened...I did some digging after what that fortune teller said. Lamia Scale proved to have some very well connected ladies."

Loke pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it to me. I opened it, pulling out four very official looking tickets to ' _The Annual Magic Council's Winter Ball_ '. Loke smiled down at me,

"You're going to want to attend that Beautiful. Now, if you'll excuse me, my own fan club awaits..."

Loke turned and swaggered away.

Sure enough, several girls started following him at a distance, most of them (from what I could see) also belonging to Natsu's fan club.

Natsu himself was frowning at the tickets in my hand,

"Stupid play boy probably broke people's hearts for those..."

"Did you not want to go?" I asked him.

Natsu rolled his eyes and stabbed a fork into his food,

"Well I didn't say that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a future festive chapter but unfortunately I couldn't get it finished in time for Christmas :(  
> Please accept my humble apolagies and this vaugley Chritmassy fact,
> 
> Baby robins sometimes eat so many caterpillars they can turn green.
> 
> Thanks for reading, hope to see you in the next chapter!  
> M


	12. Lucy's Love Potion

I left my last lesson on Friday, school bag on one shoulder, and an overnight bag on the other. We were staying the night in Era for the magic council's ball.

"Hey Beautiful," I heard from behind me, and stopped in the middle of the corridor.

A small amount of relief flooded through me as I recognised the voice belonged to Loke, looking as cool as ever in our school uniform, his face pinched with concern as he took in my expression.

"You okay?" He asked, stopping beside me. I nodded, gesturing for him to follow as I carried on down the corridor,

"I'm fine, just had a few stalkers that liked using that little catchphrase. Didn't really feel like kicking anyone's ass on a Friday afternoon." Loke grimaced,

"What's happened since you sent me away?"

I grimaced at the thought.

Last Wednesday lunchtime, a group of girls had locked Loke and I in a closet, shouting that they weren't letting us out until we kissed.

I'd told Loke to go back to the celestial realm, but of course I can't tell a load of fangirls he went up in a puff of smoke. Unfortunately for them, my only option was texting Erza.

If I texted Natsu or Gray, the girls might just shove them in the closet too to see what would happen. I daren't call Juvia away from Gray, and Gajeel spent most of his lunch times keeping an eye on the academy for Master Makarov (a job he very quickly volunteered for).

So, as there were very few crack-shippers gunning for a Lerza relationship, Erza was the safest bet to come scare off the fangirls and let me out of the closet.

Gray and Natsu had also been subjected to their share of (involuntary) seven minutes in heaven, but their refusal to participate resulted in a bit of school property damage.

After they'd been shoved into the janitor's closet, they'd blasted through the wall in an attempt to get away from each other. Ice and fire blazing, they wrestled with each other, shouting about who's fault it was they ended up in the cupboard.

Headmaster Makarov stormed in to split them up, but without being able to use his magically resizable limbs, all he could do was shout, and Natsu and Gray failed to notice him in the crowd of cooing fangirls. Luckily, Juvia (who seemed to have developed a kind of dragon slayer hearing where Gray was concerned) picked up on few girls started gushing about how this showed the boys were meant for each other.

From what I gathered, Juvia punched the school's fire alarm, setting off the sprinklers, and using the scattering crowd as cover, turned into water and tackled Natsu off of Gray. They all got after school detentions for using magic out in public.

Lisanna, doing lunchtime clubs as usual, seemed to be able to avoid most of the shipping wars. It helped that she was well liked, and that everyone knew she and Natsu had recently broken up, so most people didn't bother her. She told me while we were working that the weirdest thing she'd been badgered about was her relationship to me, and (of all people) Gajeel.

I sighed, grimacing at Loke,

"Just a few shipping wars. Thanks for staying away this week - I appreciate how much flirting you lost out on." Loke rolled his eyes,

"Y'know, I _have_ a girlfriend."

"YOU DO?!" I half screeched, stopping in my tracks. Loke grinned,

"What, didn't think an immortal playboy would ever settle down?" I stared at him,

"I didn't think an immortal playboy would keep flirting with everything that crosses his path, if he's already dating someone." Loke rolled his eyes,

"Hey, it's all fun and games making girls happy, and getting compliments is great, but I don't kiss more than one person."

I raised my eyebrows, trying to hide my surprise at this statement, and as Loke carried on walking I fell into step beside him,

"So who's the lucky girl...or guy? I take it they're a spirit?" Loke grinned,

"If you take a look at the right paintings in the magic council, you'll meet her tonight. Who're you bringing by the way?"

"Natsu—"

"Yeah, I meant other than lover boy."

I felt my stomach flip over as the crowd around me talked louder - that comment would spawn rumours by Monday, I just knew it.

Loke grinned at me knowingly. I glared at him,

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh you know what I mean Beautiful—"

"Levy's coming," I said abruptly, cutting him off, "I knew she'd love to see the capital of magic. When Gajeel heard Levy was going, he insisted on taking the fourth ticket for 'protection reasons'."

Loke snorted,

"Of course he did."

The grin on Loke's face told me he was going to start talking about Natsu again, so I quickly changed topics,

"There's something I wanted to ask you."

"Shoot," Loke said.

"After the thing that happened at the Academy, Erik, or Cobra, y'know, the poison dragon slayer? He said he infected me poison and that without treatement I should've died. But Porlyusica didn't do anything more than give me a bed in the infirmary, and I was completely fine. Does it have anything to do with that golden glitter stuff on my skin?"

"That's what your dragon force looks like. Anyone who weilds dragon magic has the ability to have a kind of magical adernaline rush, and use twice as much power as usual. When you used your dragon force, your celestial dragon magic burned all the poison out of you."

"What, just like that? I didn't mean for that to happen, does that mean my magic can act on its own?" Loke tilted his head,

"Sort of..celestial magic is a healing magic." I looked at him skeptically,

"Er...I can't heal people like Wendy does." Loke shook his head,

"I think you're thinking of cellestial magic as a summoning magic. Any wizard could summon spirits with their gate keys. Sure it's linked to the spirit world, but the only time you've actually used celestial dragon magic is when you've been backed into a corner. Your true magic is very potent, and is very dangerous to use. I can remember how much it scared your Father, every time he saw Layla healing someone."

"How is healing people scary?" I asked. Loke frowned, clearly trying to explain this as clearly as possible,

"Well, the way celestial magic heals, is through purging illness through time. In healing people Layla took hours of her magical power, and used it to purge people of illness. Giving away that much magic weakens a wizard greatly, and it can kill them, so it was very dangerous for Layla to take away people's pain. You've inherited not just her power, but Layla's most dangerous trait - she gave more than she actually had."

I paused, drinking this in, saying slowly,

"So when I used dragon force, I used hours of magical power all in one go, which burned the poison away?" Loke nodded,

"But that was just an instictive thing. When you tried to use it to attack you summoned every spirit you had. It's no wonder you passed out."

There was a scream from just outside, and both Loke and I winced at the sound of high pitched, fangirl squealing. There were a bunch of them huddled around someone, and as we got within 20ft I could smell the faintest hint of smoke in the air. Oh jeeze.

So far, Natsu's fangirls had reacted in one of two ways when I turned up, and it depended completely on their shipping preferences.

The first option was that the crowd parting like the red sea, a few people trying to push me closer to Natsu, and everyone falling quiet as we talked - making most conversation between us a little awkward.

The second option was what Gray called the anti 'NaLu' reaction, or maybe just anti-Lucy cause they still fawned over Natsu.

When Loke and I made it outside, Natsu looked up and grinned over at us.

He handed a pen back to nearest girl (whose bag now held the signature of 'The Salamander') and began gently pushing his way through the crowd towards us.

Strangly, he wasn't glowering at Loke, and as I turned to see what my spirit made of this I found that he'd disspeared, melted back into the crowd.

That would explain it then.

Natsu reached me, grinning and saying through his teeth,

"Just in time to save me Luigi. Do something romantic so I can shake them off."

I clenched my jaw, repressing such ideas from coming to the forefront of my brain - that was for when I couldn't sleep and I was too tired to guilt trip myself.

I frowned at Natsu,

"If you want me to call them off, you're gonna have to call me by my name." Natsu pouted,

"Oh come on Luce, they'll eat me alive!" I grimaced and made to step around him,

"That's still not my name." Natsu threw out his arms to stop me, stepping directly into my path again,

"Aw come on, that one's way better! And anyway, I only give nicknames to the people I really care about!"

I felt heat rise up my face.

Why the heck did he have to say such important things so bluntly?

I narrowed my eyes,

"Promise to drop the Luigi nickname and I'll get you out the gates." Natsu grinned, held out his hand to shake on it, and said firmly,

"Promise."

I sighed, and instead of shaking on the deal I slipped my fingers between his, holding his hand tightly and pulling him towards the school gates.

The shock on the faces of Natsu's fan club as we walked out of school, was almost worth the discomfort in my stomach.

God, there were gonna be some real bad rumours on Monday.

* * *

Although I dropped Natsu's hand once we were a few streets away from school, my heart continued to race as we walked to the train station. Natsu spent most of the time there arguing his case (for the fifteenth time) on why we should walk to Era. I only shut him up by promising to buy him something to eat when we got there.

We met Gajeel and Levy on the platform, both of them dressed in normal clothes. Levy of course had changed out of the stupidly frilly winter uniform from the Academy, and Gajeel had was dressed in his usual black ensemble.

The train ride to Era was only about an hour, but the boys still spent the entire train trip immobile. Gajeel took up the whole floor of the compartment, so Natsu resorted to lying across the seats with his head on my lap.

Levy and I spent the train ride chatting, Levy constantly glancing down at Natsu and grinning, while I glowered at her and kept looking pointedly at the dragon slayer splayed on the compartment floor.

When we arrived, I waited for Gajeel to get up, and thankfully he handled travel sickness better than Natsu because I was sure Levy couldn't support all of his weight off the train.

Natsu however made no attempt to get up, hand over his mouth as I heaved him up. He groaned as I pulled his arm around my shoulders, pulling him off the train behind Levy and Gajeel.

Daylight was fading fast as we walked to the hotel, and the festival lights strung up everywhere were starting to get switched on by the time we found the place we were saying.

I deposited Natsu on a sofa in the reception, Levy sitting down next to him with Gajeel while I got our room keys form the front desk.

I left Gajeel with one room key, Levy and I leaving the boys on the sofa while we went to go get ready.

In half an hour Levy and I had showered, dressed, and were finishing our makeup in the bathroom mirror.

Levy was wearing a long orange dress, which was held up by a bow behind her neck, the same shade of white as the ribbon in her hair..

I was using a long red dress my Father thought was too 'scandalous' for any balls held on the Heartfelia estate. It was floor length, but it hugged my body, split down one side from my mid-thigh so I could actually walk in it.

My red clutch bag lay on one of the beds, my whip, phone and the tickets safely inside. Erza had even let me borrow a leg sheath from her armour collection, so I could safely secure my pouch of keys to my thigh, and not have to worry about being completely defenceless if my bag got snatched.

_Are you ladies decent?_

I let out a small shriek as Loke's voice echoed in my head, and Levy looked around wildly then stared at me in the mirror,

"What?!"

Breathing a little hard, I tapped the pouch of keys under my dress,

"Loke, used his telepathy thing suddenly. Is it okay if he comes in?"

Levy nodded, and I barely finished thinking 'yes' at Loke when there was the clanging of a spirit's doorbell.

Loke appeared in a puff of smoke, standing just outside the bathroom, and dressed in his usual suit. One hand scratching behind one of his ginger cat ears, he grinned at us,

"Looking good ladies."

There was a pounding of fists on our hotel door, and the door handle rattled - I could hear Natsu shouting from out in the corridor. Loke smiled, raising a hand,

"I'll get it."

Loke walked out of sight, openign the door, and Levy stepped out of the bathroom as Natsu tumbled into the room.

He scrambled up, glaring at Loke and yelling,

"What the hell are you doing perving on the girl's while they're dressing?!"

I didn't quite register what Loke said back. I was too busy staring at Natsu.

He was wearing his school trousers and white shirt, and he'd clearly refused to wear a tie. He had however put dress shoes on, he'd rolled up his shirt sleeves neatly, and the scarf usually wrapped around his neck was tied around his waist. It was odd seeing his neck exposed, the top few bottons of his shirt undone, and his hair somehow neater than usual.

Hands by his sides, he flicked one of his wrists, his hand catching fire. There was no other word for it, he looked hot.

Gajeel slipped past Natsu and sat on one of the beds, his mane of hair looking out of place with the very smart, black suit and tie he was wearing.

Loke seemed to have said something to irritate Natsu, because Natsu took a step towards him, and I felt like slapping myself as I realised I was checking him out.

I looked down at the sink, determined. Come on Lucy, think of something else, something disgusting.

Think what that stalker asked you about the other day—NO DON'T THINK ABOUT DOING IT WITH NATSU!

NOBODY'S DOING ANYTHING WITH NATSU!

I shook the idea out of my head and started gathering up my makeup, trying to distract myself by cleaning up. That plan failed when I looked up, saw Natsu in the mirror behind me,and dropped all of my makeup in the sink.

"Alright?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

I span around, nearly finding myself nose to nose with Natsu, and pressing myself back against the sink to put some space between us.

I smiled breifly, nodded, and slipped past him, leaving my make up in the sink and walking determinately over my the clutch bag on my bed.

Just keep walking Lucy. Hand out the tickets and get everyone on the move - there'll be plenty of distractions at the ball.

I picked my clutch bag up off the bed and opened it, pulling out three of the four tickets, and handing two to Levy who was closest.

Loke was making chicken movements, and Natsu looked ready to hit him as I walked over, holding out his ticket.

Loke thankfully stopped imitating a chicken as Natsu took his ticket, his jaw clenched as he stuffed it in his pocket.

"Make sure to keep that safe Natsu," Loke said, crossing his arms, "they're pretty damn rare." Natsu snorted,

"Like you couldn't steal more off a bunch of girls." Loke scowled,

"Hey, I payed for each of those in full! Do you know how long I had to sweet talk those Lamia Scale girls?!"

Natsu rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath,

"Man whore." Loke sniggered,

"Aw, is Natsu grumpy cause he can't get any?"

"I don't want anything from anyone!" Natsu snapped.

"Oh really?" Loke said loudly, walking over to stand next to me.

"Loke." I said warningly, knowing he was pushing Natsu too far, but Loke didn't seem to care,

"So if I put my arms around this lovely lady here," Loke pulled me into him and spun me around, tipping me backwards like we were tango dancers, his face very close to mine.

I tried to get a better footing to pull away from Loke, but my heeled shoe slipped on the wooden flooring, and I overbalanced, my shin accidentally catching Loke in the groin.

Loke dropped me on the floor, wheezing, and bent over in pain.

I felt sorry for hitting him where it really counts, but I was still tired of him trying to rile Natsu up (and using me to do it),

"Loke that's not funny, you have a girlfriend, remember?!"

"I know," Loke wheezed, "that's why I came here...to remind you to look at the paintings. I was just messing around…" Natsu scoffed,

"Well, now you know what happens when you mess around with team NaLu."

"Mess with team what?" I said quickly, staring at Natsu, unable to believe he was actually using our shipping name.

Natsu grinned at me,

"Team Natsu. Y'know; me, you, Happy, Gray, and Erza. Fairy Tail's strongest team."

Right. Team Natsu, not team NaLu. Get your head on straight Lucy.

"I'm gonna go—" Loke said breathlessly, disappearing in a puff of spirit smoke.

Natsu grinned in triumph, and stepped over to me, holding out a hand to help me up.

* * *

Having been there once before, Gajeel led the way to the magic council, Levy behind him, and Natsu and I bringing up the rear.

I was distracted from Natsu's new dress sense as we weaved through streets, noticing they were far more crowded now that darkness had fallen.

To hide the magical festivities, the council timed their winter ball with Era's winter lights festival.

Unlike the paper lantern festival in Magnolia, Era's streets glistened with fairy lights strung between buildings. There was neon piping shaped into Santa and reindeer, and plastic sculptures of snowmen lit up with lightbulbs on the roofs of the surroundings shops.

The whole town was lit up like a Christmas tree - all it needed was snow to become a mini winter wonderland.

There were stalls on the street selling hot chocolate, decorations, and food, and Natsu cashed in my promise of food at the donut stall.

I bought two bags, handing one to Levy for her and Gajeel, and the other to Natsu.

Despite knowing food was waiting for us at the ball, I was glad to accept one of Natsu's donuts, and it warmed me up ever so slightly as we walked through town towards the city centre.

We walked through town, towards the city centre, and I started feeling pretty cold. Stupidly, I'd forgotten to bring a coat, and though Levy was warm under Gajeel's huge suit jacket, I couldn't steal anything from Natsu.

He hadn't bothered wearing more than a shirt, and he didn't seem affected by the cold air (probably kept warm by that stupid 'fire in his belly'). Thankfully I wasn't the only freezing; there were plenty of other people in the crowd shivering in skimpy dresses, glammed up and heading for one of the many parties in the area.

The Magic Council was on the top of a hill at the centre of the city. It was hidden on the top floors of the cathedral-like building that mainly served as a town hall, and when we finally made it inside I was a little surprised.

We were in a large entrance hall, a bit like the one at Mr Everlue's Museum, but it was all built from cold cathedral stone instead of marble. The grey stoned room was just as cold as outside, and looked a little grim, despite the holly circling the huge pillars. It certainly didn't look like the centre of Fiore's magical government.

"Which way do we go?" I asked as we wall came to a halt.

Natsu pointed towards the roped off stair case and took my hand,

"I'm betting it's past that Rune Knight."

"The what?" I asked, Natsu tugging me towards the staircase where two men in black suits stood guard.

"Rune knight," Natsu repeated, "they're kinda like the Council's army." I frowned, glancing at the men then back at Natsu,

"They look more like secret service agents."

"That's the uniform they wear to blend in," Natsu said obviously, "their weapons stay disguised as stationary." I snorted,

"Oh of course, I should've known; it's just standard proceedure that government officals are issued with pencils that turn into guns." Natsu rolled his eyes,

"Okay, first of all, it's a pen, and they also have a watch that transforms too."

I couldn't make any more sarcastic comments because we came within ear shot of the 'Rune Knights'.

Natsu let go of my hand, and all of us pulled out our tickets. They inspected them, gave us a professional nod, and allowed us to pass.

We climbed the large staircase, finding the steps curved around at the top and revealed another flight. At the top of these stairs we finally found the ballroom.

There was an orchestra at the far end of the hall, in front of which twirled about 100 couples - a collection of the richest mages in Fiore.

It looked like one of my Dad's functions. Everyone was dressed up in very expensive (but very normal) clothes.

I looked over at Natsu,

"I would've thought council officials wore cloaks." Natsu snorted,

"This isn't Hogwarts Luce, they've got to keep it as looking normal as possible. Gotta set an example."

That statement contradicted itself as a man sized frog walked past - and he _was_ dressed in robes.

"That's normal?" I whispered, not taking my eyes off the toad. Natsu bumped his shoulder into me,

"What so flying cats are fine, but frog people is crossing a line?"

I scowled at him,

"Come on, let's find those paintings that Loke sent us here for."

Gajeel make a grunt of agreement and nodded towards the stair cases on either side of the orchestra,

"No paintings in here, we'd better check upstairs. You and Salamander take the right staircase, Shrimp and I will take the other. We'll text each other if we find anything."

"Good idea." Levy said, but Gajeel had already started towards the left staircase. Levy trotted after him.

Natsu shot me a grin, and I smiled back at him but when neither of us broke eye contact I felt my face growing hot, and quickly set off towards the right staircase.

* * *

It was easy to skirt around the dance floor, Natsu following just behind me as I strode around the orchestra and up the small staircase behind them.

There weren't many people on the stairs but there were a few in the hallway at the top. About seven people in all, holding glasses and chatting idly, glancing so often at one of the walls of the corridor.

At first glance I thought it was painted, but as I looked closer I realised that it was actually a mosaic, made from tiny little shards of stone.

It was a mural, stretching the length of the hallway, the figures in it life size. Magic must've been used to paint it, or maybe some of the stones were lacrima, because the mural seemed too real to be made out of stone.

"Wierd," Natsu muttered, looking at the swirling shapes closest to us.

To me, it looked like the artist was trying to represent magic, coloured mists swirling between planets, the stars all made out of tiny crystals so they glinted as we walked along.

The mosaic shifted, blurring into a spectrum of colour, then splitting off into eight segmants. Each of the segmans soared into the next scene, the colours splitting off as they soared over eight children in a field. Each stream seemed land in the hands of a particular child.

The segment was made of gold, and a child of golden hair reached up to the sky for it, her brown eyes shining, golden glitter covering her skin. I'd seen photos of me at a young age, but I knew by the mole on her cheek that this was meant to be my Mother.

Were these meant to be the dragons?

I looked at the blue haired boy next to my Mother. There were tattoos on his face and arms, despite him being no older than six. If he hadn't been staring at the blue-green magic falling like rain into his hands, I would've thought the red in his eyes was a reflection, but clearly it was his normal eye colour.

The only dragon slayer with red eyes was Gajeel, and that's was a side effect of his iron magic, but the boy didn't look anything like Gajeel.

Next to him however, floating in the air, there was a girl who had Wendy's long blue hair. Light pink magic was swirling around her and keeping her off the ground. The sky dragon.

She was grinning at a boy with red hair, whose hand was held over his head, violet coloured magic curling around his arm. That must be the poison dragon, Erik's father.

On the ground lay two boys, one smiling as white light blew through his hair, the other staring up at the indigo smoke falling towards him.

I didn't know either of them, but the last two made me sure I was looking at the dragons.

A boy who looked like a young Gajeel, especially with the grumpy expression, was glaring down at the red magic falling into one of his hands. The iron dragon.

Next to him, a boy with black hair, messy like Natsu's, stood grinning at the orange fire like magic in his hands.

"If that's Igneel," Natsu muttered, and I watched him walk closer to the girl with golden hair.

I walked up to his side, smiling and bumping my shoulder into his,

"Yep. That's Mum." Natsu bumped my shoulder back,

"She's got your smile."

I walked along to the rendition of Igneel, pointing,

"Did you have black hair before you dyed it?" Natsu grinned and walked over,

"Nah, Dad gave the black hair to my older brother. My Mum had naturally pink hair, I think it was to do with her magic."

Natsu looked down at his feet, and the sad smile on his face gnawed a hole in my heart.

"The war?" I asked quietly. Natsu shook his head,

"Me. She died having me."

I didn't know what to say to that.

What do you say to that?

I reached out and held his hand. That buzzing I always felt when we touched seemed to warm me up, burning the remaining goosebumps off my skin. Natsu squeezed my hand and led me on so that we could see the final mural.

The field had stretched over a hill, and the grass was blended into the brick work of buildings. A battle worn Magnolia was now the backdrop for the life-size figures.

This time my Mother stood at the front of the charge, a silver kind of baton held in her hand, and raised, ready to fight. Though it had had no water ringed with gold, I knew that it was the whip I now had tucked safely away inside my clutch. Mum's other hand held a ring of keys, so many that it must've taken her a good few seconds to find the spirit she wanted.

She was wearing the same pink dress she usually wore around the estate, but it was ripped in places, chunks missing so that it came up to her mid thigh. Her hair, usually tied up in a knot at the back of her head, had fallen down, blowing in the wind. All that, plus the dirt on her face, made her look pretty damn badass.

I looked behind my Mum, seeing the other dragons.

Igneel stood directly behind her, his black hair blown off his forehead, and the scarf around his neck fluttering in the wind. Behind Igneel was a man who I could've mistaken for an older Gajeel, his hair a little longer, and face adorned with far more piercings.

The sky dragon, her hair still as long as Wendy's, was tied up in two pony tails, blowing back as she stood next to the Poison dragon. I knew it was Erik's father now, the likeness was clearer now that the dragon was older.

Behind them were the two kids I hadn't recognised, white light and purple shadows, but the blue haired kid was no where to be seen. I back looked past Mum, wondering what the dragons were all facing, but only its head was visible.

The head of a real, lizard-like dragon took up the rest of the mural, it's white eyes ringed in red, standing out against the dark blue scales.

"Acnologia," Natsu muttered, and turning my head I saw that his eyes were fixed on the head of the dragon.

"That's...? I've got to fight that..?" I said, looking back at the dragon, horrified. "We're all doomed."

Natsu squeezed my hand,

"You're not fighting anything alone, not ever. And anyway, he's in Nirvana now."

I bit my lip, staring at the dragon's head. Natsu squeezed my hand again. I looked up at him, surprised to see him grinning.

"Stop looking so mopey ya wierdo, how long the cage lasts doesn't matter—"

"—of course it does!" I said, pointing at the hulking dragon head "I can't fight something that bit!" Natsu turned towards me more fully, determination etched on his face,

"Haven't you been listening? You're not gonna fight a dragon Luce. Fairy Tail's gonna fight a dragon. And Fairy Tail's gonna be here for you forever. So it doesn't matter how long that cage lasts. Your fight became our fight the moment you joined our Guild - that's what it means to be part of Fairy Tail."

I stared at him for a moment, my brain suddenly thinking the best idea in the world, right now, would be to kiss him. Instead of thank him, or tell him how much that meant to me, I should kiss him.

Thankfully Natsu pulled back before I could embarrass myself, grinning his usual goofy grin, and I felt my eyes watering slightly. I shook my head, unable to help myself from smiling,

"You're stupidly corny when it comes to the Guild, you know that right?" Natsu snorted,

"Well you're stupidly stupid when it comes to realising how much people care about you." Natsu wrinkled his nose for a second. "Okay, that does sound really corny."

I nodded, grinning as Natsu stood there annoyed at himself, and almost falling over as a shock wave rippled through the air.

Natsu caught me around the waist to steady me, letting me go when I'd regained my balance, not looking to hold my hand again. After a pause, I looked down the corridor, asking,

"What was that?" Natsu grimaced,

"Safety measure. The council is covered inside and out with runes that restrict magic use. If someone tries casting any kind of magic, a lacrima sends out a shock wave that targets magic user and knocks them out. Someone's probably just forgotten about it while drunk."

I nodded, looking cautiously down the hallway, and minutely aware that we hadn't heard from Gajeel or Levy yet.

"Hey..." Natsu said, his tone of voice distracting me. "Am I being stupid, or does one of your Mum's keys look a bit wierd?"

I squinted at the shiny stone mosaic keys, stepping closer as I saw that Natsu was right.

While most of them were made out of tiny pieces of metal, one of the gold ones was whole, tucked into the wall and buried beneath other renditions of gate keys.

Natsu grinned at me,

"How much you wanna bet that's what Loke sent us here for?"

I stepped closer to it, running my finger over the odd key - the metal was warm.

"Why don't you try summoning it," Natsu said excitedly. I stared up at him,

"You literally just told me what happens to anyone who uses magic inside the council."

Natsu frowned,

"Oh, yeah…well we'll have to dig it out."

I stood up straight and lowered my voice, aware of other people in the corridor.

"You are not destroying the wall of a magical government building! I'll go find one of the council's officials and we can explain the situation. The key is contracted to me, they can't keep it."

Natsu looked skeptical,

"Wouldn't put it past them." I glared at him. "Okay, okay, you go find one of the frogs, I'll stay here, on guard."

I scowled at him,

"Do not do anything to that wall." Natsu held up his hands innocently,

"Wall? What wall? I'm just gonna stand here, on guard, doing nothing."

"You are the worst liar I've ever met."

Natsu grinned happily.

* * *

I strode quickly down the corridor, down the steps, and made it to the dancefloor, when I saw something that drove thoughts of frog people from my mind.

A white head of hair was walking around the dancing couples, clearly heading towards the staircase Levy and Gajeel had climbed earlier.

"Yukino," I muttered, setting off around the dance floor quickly.

My key was safe with Natsu, but Gajeel and Levy didn't know what Yukino looked like, didn't know that she'd need help.

Yukino couldn't run away this time, not when magic was banned inside the council. Maybe this time, I could reach her, help her - kill two birds with one stone as we go to the council to ask for her refuge and my key.

When I reached the stairs, I saw Yukino climbing the few last steps, striding down the corridor beyond.

I hurried after her, reaching the top of the stairs, and looking around. There was no sign of Gajeel or Levy, they were probably behind one of the many doors along the corridor, Yukino dissapearing through the door at the very end of the hallway.

I strode quickly down the corridor, checking around me to see the corridor was empty. The handle turned easily, and with one last look around, I slipped inside after her.

The room beyond was completely black, and so quiet that the door clicking shut behind me seemed to create an echo.

"Yukino?" I called out softly, stepping into the room, my heels clopping against the stone floor.

Was she hiding?

"Yukino, my name's Lucy. I want to help—"

But the rest of my words were muffled as a cloth was pressed over my mouth and nose. Someone pulled me back off my feet, and I gasped, breathing in something sickly sweet that made me feel dizzy.

Everything started spinning, blackness darkening, and I felt like I was falling.

Then everything stopped. I was lying down. There were arms around me like someone was cradling my body.

A voice called out to me, sounding very far away.

"Lucy…?"

My head felt like it was full of fluff, all light and strangely empty. There was light pouring through my eyelids.

"Lucy?" The voice asked again.

I opened my eyes. I was in the corridor I'd just left.

"Lucy?" The voice asked again.

I felt a rush of affection as I focused on its owner, smiling as I took in the blonde hair, the sparkling earring hanging from one ear.

"Are you okay?" Sting asked, Yukino bent over his shoulder and looking very worried.

"Yeah...I...what happened?" Sting smiled,

"Some dark wizard tried to jump you and I came running. Having a dragon slayer for a soul mate has some perks."

I smiled, my eyes drawn to his left arm.

His shirt had been ripped, his shirt sleeve torn clean off. I could see our soul mark, white but still standing out against his skin. A little dragon wrapped around a key.

Sting helped me to my feet and, after pausing a moment to check I was okay, he took his suit jacket from Yukino. He put it on, hiding his damaged shirt from view, and put an arm around my waist,

"Come on, we should get you out of here. It's not safe."

"GET OFF HER," yelled a familiar voice.

Natsu sprinting towards us down the corridor. He looked furious and I couldn't understand why.

"It's okay," I called, waving at him calmly, "I'm okay. Sting just took down a dark wizard who jumped me."

Natsu skidded to a halt in front of us, looking from me, to Sting, then to the hand on my waist. He barely glanced at Yukino, reaching out to grab my arm wildly, but Sting batted his arm away.

Natsu actually bared his teeth. I stared at him,

"What the heck is wrong with you? Aren't you glad Sting was here to save me?"

Natsu looked just as shocked as I felt. Again he looked at Sting's hand on my waist, then up at my face, then glared at Sting,

"What the hell did you do to her?!"

"Aren't you listening?!" I half shouted. "Sting just saved me! It's the kind of thing soul mates do, y'know!"

Natsu looked dumbstruck.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" He shouted.

What is _wrong_ with him?

"I'm talking about Sting?!" I said, holding up the pink soul mark on the back of my hand, "my soul mate, who came and saved me from a dark wizard!"

"He's not your soul mate!"

I frowned, not wanting to be mean but not wanting to get shouted at anymore. Natsu was being rude.

"Natsu, I know you're still upset about Lisanna, but sometimes soul mates do work out. We're best friends, can't you just let my relationship go?"

I thought for a second Natsu was going to hit me, but he jabbed a finger at Sting instead.

"Lucy _he_ is not your soul mate!" He jabbed a thumb at his chest. " _I_ am!"

I held up the back of my hand,

"Natsu, this is not your soul mark!"

Natsu pulled his shirt open like Superman, buttons flying off as he tugged down the arm of his shirt, revealing the red mark on his upper arm. He grabbed my soul marked hand and held it next to his red mark.

I saw the pink dragon and key on my hand, and the weird fairy-like red symbol on his arm.

"See?!" Natsu protested, as if he was showing me proof.

"Can you see?!" I said, wondering if he'd hit his head. "They're completely different!"

I pulled my hand away from him and Sting tightened his grip around my waist,

"Come on, we should go before more dark wizards get here."

I nodded, taking the hand that was on my waist and holding it tightly in my own.

Before I could take a step however, Natsu surged forwards, and I was so sure he was going to hit Sting I would've bet one of my gate keys on it.

What I wasn't expecting, was for his hands to clasp my face and pull my lips up to meet his.

I felt like the air in my lungs had disappeared, a very physical, foreign something withering away, and the golden light in my chest bursting into life.

Natsu is kissing me. Natsu goddam Dragneel is kissing me, chapped lips pressed against sticky lip gloss.

I opened my eyes as he pulled back, his nose mere inches from mine,

"See?" He said slowly. "We're soul mates."

Is this a confession? Is it okay to like him now?

I stared at him, heart thrumming in my chest,

"Of course we're soul mates dummy...what are you on about?"

A hand I hadn't realised I was holding pulled away from me, and I looked around. A blonde man was backing away, and for some reason I knew his name.

Why the hell was I holding Sting's hand? Who the hell is he?

I felt like I'd just woken up from a very hazy, surreal dream.

Natsu pulled away from me, ripping off his open shirt and throwing it on the floor. He turned on Sting, cracked his knuckles and growled,

"Oh I am _so_ fired up now..."

Before he could do anything however, the door at the end of the corridor was blown off its hinges, revealing the darkness beyond had gone.

The room was perfectly lit up, showing it to be full of rubble and a whole lot of unfriendly looking wizards.

At least thirty dark wizards were striding across the room towards us, and without taking his eyes off them Natsu shouted,

"Lucy get out of here!"

"I can't just leave—"

"YES YOU CAN, NOW GET OUT OF HERE!"

Taking advantage of Natsu's diverted attention, Sting swung a punch that caught Natsu off gaurd, landing right in the middle of his chest and throwing him off his feet.

Frozen to the spot, I watched as Natsu tumbled over backwards, landing on his feet, and jumping back up in a fighting stance.

"GO!" He yelled. "I'LL HOLD THEM OFF!" Something shot past my head and I ducked, not turning to run until he shouted,

"LUCY!"

His voice was so fierce it overrode the instinct to stay and fight with him, doing as he said and running back down the corridor.

I didn't know where Levy or Gajeel had gone, but I could hear screaming from the dance floor below us.

I made it to the stairs, ready to help the people below, but stopped dead at the terrible sound I heard from behind me.

It was a sound of pain I never thought I'd hear from Natsu. I turned around to see him on the floor, not doing so well without his fire magic and the odds at 33 to 1. He made a horrible, spluttering sound, the kind you only make when you've got a mouthful of blood, and just as quickly as his voice had scared me off, his pain turned me around.

I pulled my whip from my clutch, dropped the bag on the ground, and ran back to him, my heart hurting as I saw ten or so wizards keeping Natsu on the ground, kicking every inch of him that they could reach.

Could I use dragon force before the lacrima sends out that shock blast? I don't even know how to use dragon force.

 _'You need to feel it Lucy.'_ It was my Mother's voice, echoing in my head so clearly, it was like she was right next to me. I could feel her smiling. _'That's all magic is really. A good, strong, feeling, and a heart full of fire.'_

Feeling very stupid but doing what felt right, I threw one hand forwards, willing every thug away from Natsu.

Doorbells clanged like church bells, and suddenly every spirit I had was falling in beside me, running towards the group of dark wizards like a small army. I flicked my whip fowards, the water flashing from its handle and the golden light encircling not just the water but my hand too. It began to wind up around my arm, twisting upwards and plugging into my chest, dipping into the golden light inside me.

My whip wound tightly around every person attacking Natsu, and I pulled them away as something pulsed in my chest, golden glitter appearing on my skin and shining brightly.

In time with my heart beat, a band of golden light seemed to burst from inside me, rushing towards the dark wizards like a shock wave.

It threw every person within 10ft of Natsu into the air, some of them thrown so hard that they went through the wall.

The magic drew back as the wizards halted, the golden light settling over Natsu and spreading out like a translucent blanket, protecting him while my spirits ran ahead of me. The dark wizards began to advance again, a few of them yelling as they raised weapons, ready to fight.

Half way along the corridor my knees buckled, and as I hit the ground I thought someone had injected me with Cobra's poison again.

Every muscle in my body felt like it was ripping itself apart, something crackling through me like Laxus' lightening.

I could smell burning.

I could no longer keep the water flowing through my whip, but I could hear the commotion downstairs settling.

I just needed to buy time until the council's Rune Knights got here.

Aquarius was keeping most of the wizards at bay with a wall of water, but the rest of my spirits were attacking a single woman who was striding towards me.

She was dressed in a ball gown fit for the council's party, her black hair up in bunches, and a smile on her face as she deflected my spirit's attacks with ease.

Virgo was pulled out of the cathedral's stone with a flick of her wrist and flung aginst the wall. The woman smirked, carrying on walking towards me, and raising her eyebrows as Plue ran at her, his tiny fists clenched. On her next step forwards she kicked him like a football, sending him flying over my head, and I heard him hit the wall and burst into smoke - too injured to carry on in the physical world.

Loke lunged at the woman but he was flung aside almost effortlessly, the two blue twins of Gemini soaring over to stop him from crashing into the wall like Virgo. The woman was throwing my spirits off without breaking a sweat, and I watched as she flicked her wrist, sending Taurus' axe into the ground.

I could feel the damage the council's lacrima had done to my magic, but I could also feel that I had a few reserves left, just enough conciousness for one more to attack.

I reached out for Natsu, still lying under my translucent blanket of my magic, and I closed my eyes.

Straining my ears, my slayer hearing picking up the thrum of his heartbeat, and as my heart slowed to beat in time with his I pushed out another wave of golden magic.

It hit the woman striding towards me, and I saw her stumble, saw Loke get in one good punch.

But then my eyes fluttered shut.

And the only thing I saw was darkness.

I felt bitterly cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun Dun Duuuuuuh!  
> LET ME BREAK THE TENSION WITH A VERY ODD FACT!
> 
> T-Rex's were kinda partial to pre-coital nose rubbing, as their snouts were as sensative as our fingertips.  
> Bonus fact; they had no lips according to the scientific findings of 2017.
> 
> Hope to see ya in the next chapter :D  
> Thanks for reading!  
> M


	13. A Seven Year Old Secret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N; I lost 4 hours of work on this when my computer crashed and I didn't friggen save (because I'm a total freaking numpty). So this upload is a little later than it usually would've been, because it's the longest chapter so far (over 10,000 words cause I just had to end it with a little NaLu), and my stupidity resulted in me rage quitting from editing momentarily. So yeah, you could've had this chapter sooner if I wasn't being a lil bitch - my apolagies...

I was very, very, cold.

The warmth from Aquarius' key, hung on the necklace beneath my dress, felt hot against my skin in the freezing room.

Someone must've removed my shoes, because my feet were bare against icy stone flooring, leaving only my red dress from the ball to protect me from the cold.

I was sat up in a chair, my head resting on my chest, but I didn't dare move. I knew I wasn't at the magic council anymore.

My ankles had been bound to the chair legs with rope, and my arms were bound behind the back of the chair. I felt cold metal shackles clamped around my wrists, the chain between them giving me little room to move.

I felt odd, like I couldn't breathe properly. I felt claustrophobic in my own body, the golden light in my chest burning brighter than usual, like it was trying to shine through my skin. But my skin felt like a barrier, locking the light of my magic inside of me.

I could hear the sound of someone tossing something into the air, catching it again with apparent boredom.

I had no idea where my keys were, so I kept my head bowed, carefully looking beneath my lashes, trying to work out where I was.

There was barely any light in the room, but it seemed to be flickering, like it was coming from a fire. It streamed in from the corridor outside, through a barred wall. It looked like I was in a small, medieval prison cell.

"I know you're awake Heartfelia," said a smooth female voice, making my stomach drop.

Trying to swallow down my nerves, I looked up, my heart lurching painfully at the sight in front of me.

The woman who'd fought off all my spirits at the magic council, was leaning against teh wall. Her black hair was up in bunches, and she was dressed in the same ball gown - I couldn't have been out that long.

The smirk on her face made me feel slightly sick, but the fact that she was tossing my whip up into the air seemed meaningless as I looked at the figure beside her.

Propped up against the wall at her feet, his head resting limply on his bare chest, was Natsu.

Loke had said that Celestial magic was a healing magic, but it didn't appear to have done much to the bloody bruises covering his arms and torso. He was slumped, so still, so quiet, that I couldn't work out whether he was breathing.

"Don't look so worried Heartfelia," the woman drawled, "Salamander's just been drugged. Sabertooth has a few dragon slayers of our own, and we've found it's better to keep them on ice."

Worry for Natsu's safety overrode my the panic. Forgetting that I was helpless, tied to a chair in a prison cell, a surge of confidence swelled in my chest.

"If you know so much about dragon slayers," I said cooly, "then you'd know to get as far away as possible, preferably before I break out of this chair." The woman smirked,

"I'd like to see you try...personally, I've never seen a wizard break out of magic-binding cuffs before."

I balled my hands into fists behind my back, pulling at the shackles, but all I managed to do was rattle the chain between them.

Frustrated, but not giving up, I tried to keep my voice carelessly cool,

"Who are you? Where am I?"

The woman smiled,

"I am Lady Minerva of Sabertooth. My Father, the Guildmaster, tasked me with bringing the celestial dragon slayer back to the castle dunegons. I'm here, to encourage you to release your contracts with the twelve zodiac spirits."

Well, that explained why they'd taken Natsu.

"So what's my ultimatum," I asked, "keep my keys or keep my soul mate?" Minerva smiled,

"You can try and keep up the tough guy act Heartfelia, but it's not fooling me. Soul mates are special sure, but dragon slayer soul mates," Minerva sighed and ran a hand through Natsu's pink hair, "you're just so emotionally invested."

She carded her fingers through Natsu's hair and I tried to pull out of the metal cuffs, the metal bruising my skin as I yanked my hands apart furiously.

Minerva smiled at my reaction,

"Just like your mother...dragons will sacrifice anything for their soul mates." Minerva drew her fingers out of Natsu's hair and clasped both her hands around my whip handle,

"Oh, but wait...Mummy didn't tell you about her best kept secret, did she?"

Minerva's smirk turning bitter when I stayed silent, and she seemed to take a moment to find the right words, looking down at me derisively.

If she wanted to play the cocky villain who talks until backup arrives, that was fine with me. Fairy Tail were bound to be on their way - I just has to keep her talking and away from Natsu.

"Your Mother killed a lot of people in the war," she said, "did you know that?"

I swallowed. Lie or not, the idea wasn't a very nice one, but I held my ground.

"People do that in war." I said flatly.

Minerva's lip curled,

"War didn't have to break out. Your Mother could've prevented it if she hadn't been so selfish."

"My Mother," I stated clearly, "was the most selfless person I've ever known."

Minerva sneered and threw the whip handle at me, the metal bouncing off my shin painfully and rolling across the floor as she spat,

"Your Mother sacrificed hundreds of lives, one of them being my own Mother! And she did it knowingly, taking Acnologia's bait and withdrawing from the fight, all to save her soul mate's one little boy. She left the people of Magnolia defenceless as the dragon of souls murdered countless innocents."

I kept my face straight, staring at her blankly,

"So you brought me here as part of a wierd revenge quest?"

Strangely Minerva smiled,

"It can be revenge for the both of us Heartfelia...Layla Heartfelia let people like my Mother die, but what killed her in the end, was your soul mate."

I…Am I following this right? Minerva thinks that my Mum's soul mate was...Igneel?

Mum never told me her soul mates name, but I knew that was out of respect for my Father. I'd always thought the mystery man or woman, was one of the people who came to the estate for dinner - after all, she told me that they'd stayed friends.

If it was Igneel, I'd have seen Natsu growing up, in pictures if not in person. The council's mural was the first time I'd seen Igneel.

"So..." I said slowly, "you think Natsu is to blame for the entire war?"

Minerva smiled gleefully, talking almost to herself,

"My Father was right...Makarov really hasn't told you."

She laughed, starting to pace back and forth, chewing her words as if she were actually planning out Acnologia's attack,

"The dragon of souls was very wise. He knew that Layla Heartfelia was the only one who could destroy him, so he got to her first. he knew that the best way to hurt a dragon was to hurt their soul mate. Taking on Igneel wasn't wise, but perhaps he could hurt them in other ways. Better ways."

Man, she's really convinced about this.

"Seven years ago, Acnologia ordered his army to destroy the Fairy Tail Guild. As the Dragneel children escaped from the fight, the dragon of souls cornered them, trapped them in a deserted back alley. Twelve year old Zeref stepped in front of his little brother, stood between him and Acnologia's attack."

Minerva stopped pacing, a smile broadening across her face.

"Do you know how Acnologia attacks people Miss Heartfelia?"

I didn't.

Minerva searched my face, seemingly waiting for a horror-struck reaction.

"He manipulates their soul," she said quietly, "he twists their magical power, warps it until it is unrecognisable. Once their soul is bent beyond repair, he uses people as puppets, making them kill everyone they love. Little dragon slayer Zeref didn't learn fire dragon magic, he learn his Mother's instead. Living magic. A very ancient, long-forgotten craft that breathes life into things."

Minerva turned around, strolling back over to Natsu,

"Zeref's disfigured magic exploded out of him, breathing demonic life into his little brother. The demon began to devour Salmander's soul. Acnologia was so impressed with his little creation, he took Zeref from the scene, using him as a weapon in the fight he was about to re-join."

Reaching Natsu, Minerva crouched down next to him, poking his cheek with a long nailed finger,

"Little Salmander was left alone in the alley, slowly and painfully dying, turning into a demon who would wreck more havoc upon Magnolia."

Minerva stood up straight again, leaning back against the wall, her voice suddenly cool.

"Your Mummy realised the attack on Fairy Tail must be a distraction, and threw out her magic. She found Igneel's son writhing around in a deserted part of town, alone and nearly dead, and she rushed to his aid. She couldn't rid him of the demon, but she used a huge amount of her magic to repress it, her starlight burning the demon back and pieceing Salamander's soul back together."

Minerva looked down at Natsu,

"It's made him very fragile, Salamander's life depends on the starlight inside him. I suspect that's why he's gotten so close to you..."

Minerva smirked at me,

"I bet he's been trailing after you these last few months, desperate to be in your presence. He probably doesn't even know why he's doing it. But his soul, his soul is hoping little Miss self-sacrifice will give him all the starlight he needs."

Minerva's words carved an aching feeling into my chest, but I ignored them, determined to keep her talking,

"That's a great story and all, but how does that relate to you needing my keys?"

Minerva reached behind her, seemingly reaching into a hidden pocket in her dress, because she pulled out my keys. She held the ring of gate keys loosely in her hand, the metal glinting slightly in the dim torchlight.

"Your keys, are the only reason I haven't killed you. Your Mummy used up too much magic saving little Salamander. When she returned to the battle, Zeref was destroying Magnolia and it's citizens, all the dragons busy trying to contain Acnologia. It takes a lot of magical power to resist him you see. Your Mummy didn't have enough magic to resist _and_ destroy him. She took the easy way out."

Minerva held up my keys, flicking through them with one finger, like pages of a magazine.

"She decided to use Nirvana, locking it with the twelve most powerful keys in her possession. She used up all her magic, including what was left of her life, and put it into the zodiac's gate keys, opening and locking the gates of Nirvana. She made every dragon slayer an orphan, locking away all their parents, because if someone used the cage to transfer Acnologia's destructive power, the good intentions of the other dragons would nullify the effect."

Minerva dropped my keys on the floor carelessly, walking across the room, so that I had to turn my head to look over my shoulder.

"Your Mother changed her contracts before she died however. She left her keys to you, extended her contract to the person she cared most about in the world, and enforced that this condition would continue. If you die, your life force is bound to strengthen the lock, and your keys are passed onto your loved ones, and so on."

Minerva reached a small chest and bent down, opening it, and rummaging through its contents.

"There's only one way to open the cage now. You release your Mother's contract, the contract leaving the keys to you, and you release the magic she stored within them. You dissolve the lock on the cage."

Minerva seemed to find what she was looking for and stood up, walking back past me with what looked like a black crystal ball in her hand.

"Know what this is Heartfelia?" She asked.

Knowing it was nothing good I tugged at my restraints again, mumbling,

"A real magic 8 ball?"

Minerva smirked, stopping beside Natsu, and waving her hand over the black orb. A purple glow seemed to shine around it, and she smiled, murmering,

"Clearly, you never looked inside your gift from Raven Tail."

Minerva bent down, turned Natsu's hand over, and placed the orb in his palm.

At once, the inky black crystal was filled with colour, what looked like fire works exploding inside it.

Oh. That's. That was what my magic looked like at the lantern festival.

So that's my Mother's magic.

I didn't take my eyes off of Natsu as Minerva walked over to me. In my periferal vision I saw her walk behind me, felt her place her hands on my shoulders, and her breath on my ear as she said,

"Here's the deal. You let go of your spirits, and I'll let you out of these cuffs. You can save your soul mate, and spend what's left of your lives in Sabertooth's dungeon. Or, you keep your spirits, and you get to watch a demon devour Salamander's soul - erasing the person you know and love from existence. Which'll it be?"

Natsu groaned, seemingly barely conscious, stirring, the colourful orb glued to his palm as he shifted. He raised his free hand, cltuching at his stomach, grunting in pain as the red scales of his dragon force began to appear on his face and arms.

"Here's the fun part," Minerva cooed, "the more he tries to fight the demon from taking him over, the more painful it'll be."

I watched as Natsu opened his eyes, jaw clenched as he lifted his head.

"Natsu?" I asked quietly.

His eyes found me. Seeming to realise my position he tried to leap up, come to my aid, but he barely made it to his feet. Before he could stand up straight his face contorted, and he hunched over, falling back a step like he'd been run through with a sword.

He seemd to collect himself, and I heard him growl with determination as he took a step forwards, but his knees buckles. He fell onto all fours with a yell of pain, the glass orb stuck to his hand slipping over the stone floor when he tried to break his fall. He fell flat onto his stomach, and with another yell of pain he rolled onto his back.

Minerva let go of my shoulders, standing back to watch as I pulled at my restraints again. Natsu's knuckles were turning white, one hand clenched in a tight fist, the other clasped around the orb, red scales creeping slowly across back of his hands.

I threw my weight forwards, desperate to pull free, but only managed to make the chair topple over sideways. On the floor, my ankles still bound to the chair legs, I wriggled as best I could, trying to at least get close to Natsu.

"Let go of your contracts Heartfelia," Minerva commanded.

I couldn't give up my keys, it would unleash destruction on the entire world. It would mean everyone, not just Natsu, would die. But I couldn't just let him go like this, he was in so much pain. I didn't know what to do other than to try and get to him. Both options Minerva was offering me would mean my Mother's death was all for nothing.

I threw my weight against the chair, edging closer to him as red scales crusted over Natsu's bruised shoulders, rippling down his chest. Natsu let out something close to a scream and rolled onto his side, curling up into a ball.

I threw my weight against the chair again, seeing scales had plastered over the skin on his back and two lumps were growing between his shoulders. With his head bowed, I saw two red somethings poking out his pink hair, solid looking, almost like horns. The crystal orb finally came off his hand, split from his skin as scales covered his palms, and Natsu arched his back suddenly.

He let out a scream, scaly wings ripping through the lumps on his back, and though I saw no blood I'd never seen someone in so much pain.

"Natsu!" I yelled, throwing myself forwards - if I could get to him, maybe I could do something. Anything.

Natsu's eyes were screwed up in pain, but he seemed to try and crawl towards my voice, reaching out an arm to try and pull himself across the floor. I could see the nails on his fingers going black, and they were lengthening, sharpening into claws.

Tears dripping down his scaly cheeks, Natsu pulled himself closer to me, his claws scraping on the stone floor like nails on a chalk board. The horns on his head were lengthening, curling around like ram's horns, and as Natsu opened his eyes fear flooded through me.

The whites of his eyes seemed to be turning red, his green irises shrinking beneath the pupil which itself was thinning into a slit. It was what I imagined dragon eyes to be like.

"You're running out of time Heartfelia," Minerva said calmly.

Natsu let out a muffled yell of pain through gritted teeth, teeth that were lengthening into fangs. But we weren't that far apart now.

Reaching out a scaly arm he managed to grab my shoulder. He dragged me closer to him, and I winced a sharp claws sliced through the red material of my dress, cutting into my back as he pulled me within inches of him.

I was scared for myself as well as him now, almost nose to nose with Natsu, and I screamed instincitvely as he swooped down on me. But the sound was muffled by scaly lips, pressing against mine as Natsu closed his eyes, and I froze in shock as he forced his tongue into my mouth.

I felt a swooping sensation in my chest, and the golden ball of light in my chest seemed to burst. Magic flooded through me like water bursting from a dam, still trapped inside my skin, but attracted to Natsu's tongue like a lightening rod.

He deepened the kiss, and I felt his scaly skin soften slightly, recognised the chapped lips that'd kissed me at the council's ball.

I opened my eyes slightly. The brickwork of red scales on his face was fading to pink.

Somehow, kissing me furiously, he was aborbing my magic.

I heard the click of Minerva's heels on the stone floor.

She seemed to realise what was happening, but she stopped dead at the sound of a massive explosion, seeming to echo down from several floors above us.

Natsu didn't seem bothered by the sound at all, still kissing me with his eyes closed, but I heard Minerva rush to the cell door, locking us inside before running down the corridor.

I was brought back to the situation at hand by Natsu. Hands that now had callouses instead of claws came up to my face, framing my cheeks, and Natsu's fingers tangled into my hair.

I was just about to close my eyes when the sound of ripping metal came from the cell next door, and I dipped my head.

It could mean the start of a fight, muffled voices certainly seemed to be discussing something. I froze, surprised as I heard a doorbell sound, and then something rammed into the wall between the cells so hard, that bricks and mortar went flying everwhere.

I ducked my head into my chest, unable to do much more to protect myself.

As the rubble settled I jerked my head up, my heart lurching as I found Natsu, still lying on the floor beside me, but not moving.

"Natsu?!" I called urgently, unable to shake him, try and wake him up.

He blinked blearily, squinting through the dust, and wonderfully green eyes focused on me. His chest was covered in bruises and his cheeks were spattere with freckles, not a scale in sight. His pink eyebrows dipped in a frown as he lifted his head.

"Luce…? Why are you tied to a chair?"

"We're in Sabertooth's dungeon," I said quickly, both of us looking around as a familiar voice yelled,

"What the hell are those Salamander?"

There was the sound of a spirit going up in a puff of smoke, and Gajeel stepped through the hole in the wall - Levy just behind him, and both of them staring at Natsu like he'd grown an extra head.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Natsu yelled, and I looked back at him to see him sat up, looking horrified.

Though his red scales had faded, and the horns had shrunk, I saw that there were still little devil sized prongs poking out his pink hair. Not only that, he still had wings, and even a tail that he flicked around to look at more closely, accidentally swatting me over the head.

"It's fine," I said shortly, my head pounding a little, "they're not permanent. I'll explain later, but can I get some help here?"

I shook the hands still bound behind my back pointedly, making the chain between the shackles jangle.

Gajeel walked over to me, shaking out his arm which transformed into a metal pike.

He bent down behind me and drove his modified arm through one of the links in the chain, breaking both it and the enchantment on the cuffs.

Immidiately I felt like I could breathe more easily, my magic now tingling on my skin rather than confined within it.

I heard the sound of rope splitting and one of my ankles came loose. Levy was cutting me free with her solid script magic, the word 'knife' in her hand, silver and sharp.

Natsu was suprisingly quiet Levy cut my other leg free, frowning at his hands like he was trying to remember something. I slowly got to my feet, not quite steady enough to withstand Levy throwing herself at me in a hug, and the both of us toppling over onto the floor.

"Sorry!" Levy said, standing up hurriedly, and offering me a hand. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I said, smiling, taking her hand and getting to my feet gently, "just a little low on magic. Makes me feel a bit wobbly."

Now that I could feel it properly without the cuffs, I realised just how much of my magic Natsu had swallowed. I felt as exhausted as I had after summoning Taurus for the first time.

I took Levy's hand and she put a hand on my shoulder as I swayed on the spot.

Natsu let out a sound like a disgruntled child, complaining,

"I can't even make a spark."

Natsu looked over his shoulder at his wings, like it was their fault, and Levy gently let go of my shoulder.

"I think I can help." She said, turning to me. "Mind if I try something?" I smiled,

"You know me, always ready to be your research subject." Levy smiled back for a second, then warned the others,

"You might wanna close your eyes."

Gajeel and Natsu seemed to interested to follow suit as Levy closed her own eyes.

She held out her hands between us, and muttered something under her breath. A brightly lit object appeared in her hand, filling the dark room with light.

It was like looking at a really bright light bulb, and though Gajeel sheilded his eyes, Natsu stared at Levy's hands like it reminded him of something.

"Eat it," Levy said, holding it towards me, and I quinted at the word in her hands.

Barely visible because it was shining so brightly, I could make out the golden word 'starlight' sitting in her hands.

I tried to reach out and pick it up, but my hand went straight through it - Levy appeared to be keeping it in her hands with magic. I frowned, the memory of Natsu eating the flames of a lighter crossing my mind. He didn't pick it up, he sucked it in.

Feeling a little stupid, I took a meaningful breath. Miraculously, the word starlight seemed to bend, like it was being sucked up a thin straw.

Half surprised, half anxious, I watched as it travelled towards me, swimming through the air towards my lips.

It was a bit like breathing in the warm smell of a bakery. It didn't feel like I was eating something, more like breathing in really nice smell, so strong you could almost taste it. The golden light in my chest seemed to burn brighter, and I felt a little stronger standing on my own two feet.

When all the light from Levy's hands had gone, I felt like I'd just absorbed the kind of energy I'd get after a full night's sleep.

Natsu seemed to notice, because he tapped Levy on the arm excitedly,

"Awesome...do me next, I wanna see what it tastes like!"

Levy smiled, closed her eyes, and held out one hand in front of her. The word 'fire' glowed in mid air. In its light I saw someone standing in the cell nextdoor.

Yukino, arms wrapped around herself, was looking at me guiltily. As my eyes met hers, she drew back a little, like she expected me to attack her.

"Woah," I heard Natsu say, "that's got a really weird flavour."

I walked towards Yukino but she took another step back. I stopped, keeping my voice soft, using the kind of voice that might help draw a wild animal closer.

"It's okay," I said gently, "we're gonna get you out of here."

Yukino looked at me with wide eyes, not moving from where she stood. In the dim light, I saw her eyes filling with tears.

"I'm sorry." She said shakily, remainin where she was. "Sting didn't mean to— he didn't want to give you that love potion. Jiemma, the guildmaster, he made him do it. Sting was just trying to protect me...I—I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." I repeated. "We'll get upstairs, take down Jiemma—" Yukino cut me off, stepping forwards frantically,

"—you can't! He's too powerful!" Natsu grinned broadly,

"Great! That means it'll be a good fight!"

Yukino stared at Natsu, clearly dismayed by his attitude.

"Fairy Tail is the strongest guild in Fiore," Gajeel said, "if we get upstairs, you can see for yourself."

Yukino fell silent, but tears continued to run down her cheeks. I think Gajeel scared her too much to argue - red eyes and masses of piercings probably don't scream 'safety' to a stranger.

I turned on the spot, walking over to where Minerva had dropped my keys, and bending down to pick them up.

When I stood up straight, I saw Natsy retrieving my whip from beneath a heavy stone block. He threw it over to me and I caught it, grinning at him in thanks, and asking our rescue party,

"How'd you find us?" Gajeel shrugged,

"Followed the Rune Knights. They chased Sabertooth right their front door. Shrimp phoned Fairy Tail on the way, and everyone who was there came to help. Is there anything else down here Bunny Girl?" I glanced at Yukino, who was frowning at Gajeel, and upon meeting my eyes shook her head.

"Why?" Natsu asked.

"I scouted ahead of everyone," Gajeel explained, "smelt something really bad down here. Shrimp followed me down and obviously I couldn't—" Gajeel stopped midsentence, frowning at the floor.

"We followed the passage," Levy said, "Yukino called out to us from next door, and she smashed down the wall of your cell with a massive snake."

We all looked around at the sound of metal grinding against ice - it was coming from a little way down the corridor.

Gajeel took off without another word. Natsu was hot on his heels, his wings slightly spread as he ran, Yukino, Levy and I bringing up the rear.

We ran down the corridor, right to the end, and rounded the corner.

Up ahead, I saw Minerva standing with her back to us, just about holding her own against Gray, Juvia and Erza.

It was cheating really. Minerva kept teleporting, switching places with one of them, so that all of their attacks almost hit a guildmate instead of Minerva herself.

Gajeel inhaled dramatically, letting out a roar of sound that spawned a tornado of iron dust. It flew form his mouth, stretching five, ten, twenty feet, and heading straight for Minerva.

There was a burst of purple, and Minerva was suddenly replaced by Gray, who threw up a wall of ice just in time.

It shattered on impact, but slowed the iron dust enough be abrasive rather than painful.

"WATCH IT!" Gray yelled, his face contorting in confusion as he saw Natsu. "What the hell happened to—"

But he was cut off. Minerva used his lapse in concentration to slam her heeled foot into his back, hard enough to send him tumbling forwards, her stiletto heel making him yell in pain as he fell.

Juvia let out a scream of rage,

"HOW DARE YOU HURT MY GRAY-SAMA!"

Before my eyes, Juvia's body dissolved into water.

Like a sentient, floating puddle, the water leapt onto Minerva, enveloping her in a suffocating mass of water.

Minerva tried teleporting in the place of Erza, but Juvia seemed to slip through her purple teleport magic, because Minerva reappeared, struggling to breath still inside the watery cocoon.

Like she was trying to throw her off with momentum, Minerva began teleporting along the corridor, her magic flashing as she disseapeared and reappeared, further and futher along the corridor. When she reached the bottom of the flight of stairs she dissapeared from view, presumably still going up the flight of steps.

Without waiting for Gray to get up, Erza ran down the corridor after her. Gray got to his feet, wincing, a hand pressed to his back, but as Gajeel and Natsu ran past him, he seemed to foget the pain. Seemingly motivated by being overtaken by the dragon slayers, he raced after them, Levy, Yukino and I following.

We climbed the steps at the end of the corridor, a little way behind Gray as we came out into what looked like a medieval armoury. Old steel and iron weapons were pegged to the walls behind glass, and there were several suits of armour dotted around the room.

It seemed Minerva wasn't lying, this was a castle, complete with no heating and a weapon store.

We ran on, crossing the stone flagged floors and over to another staircase, my feet numb as we started to climb.

At the top of the steps we emerged into a large, long room. Judging from the carpet at ran up its centre, centuries ago this must've been a throne room, the ceiling several stories above us and the walls covered in framed portraits.

Most of the framed paintings had scorch marks on them, or holes blown through the canvas, the result of all the magic flying through th air around the room.

The rune knights were here, at least a hundred of them, men in black suits like the knight I'd seen at the entrance to the council's ball. Now however, I could see the weapons Natsu had talked about.

Sprouting outwards from their watches were shields made of purple light, and in their free hand they carried a similarly purple halberd, sprouted from a pen. Both weapons were obviously more solid than they appeared, because Sabertooth's minions seemed bleed if hit with the halberds' blades.

Minerva was teleporting near by, and Juvia seemed to finally loose her grip, the body of water flung from Minerva and changing back into Juvia who flipped in the air, but landed badly on the floor.

Gray ran over to her as Minerva stood up straight, breathing hard, Erza facing her. Erza's body began to glow as she requipped, leaving Gajeel, Natsu, Levy, Yukino and I to stare around at the other battles - trying to see who needed help.

The rune knights seemed to be taking care of most of Sabertooth, leaving only two, massive men for Fairy Tail to take care of.

At the end of the hall, where a throne would have stood years ago, was a massive man, as wide as he was tall, wearing nothing but trousers and a massive necklace of beads.

Explosions of purple magic, fiery and clearly leathal, went off all around him. They looked like clouds of lilac light, but each left craters in the floor as he blocked attacks from the Fairy Tail members that surrounded him.

I recognised Elfman and Mira Jane, transformed into the monsterous forms they'd used for the halloween parade, dodging explosions to get in a punch here and there. Evergreen and Freed stood a little way back, performing long range attacks, and defending the Strauss' from explosions.

The massive man didn't seem very hurt, if anything he seemed irritated by Fairy Tail dodging all his explosions. That had to be Jiemma, the Guildmaster.

Closer to us, Lisanna, Macao, Bickslow and Cana were taking care of Sabertooth's other powerhouse.

If he hadn't had green hair, I could've mistaken the man for a long haired Laxus, as lightening surrounded his arms, making his hair stand on end.

Lisanna and Macao were attacking him at close range, but his speed was so great they were relying on him dodging Cana and Bickslow's attacks to find an opening.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of golden light that made my skin tingle. I turned towards it, the light obscuring Minerva and Erza from view, and the lurch in my chest telling me it was starlight.

It dimmed slowly, showing Minerva fall to the ground, Erza still on her feet and wearing an armour I'd never seen before.

She wore a tiara in her red hair, and there was white linen floating above her head, the ends tied down to golden shoulder guards. Apart from the skirt, the shoulder guards looked to be the biggest part of her armour, because though elegant, she was virtually bare on her top half, some green material just about keeping her decent and tied with a red ribbon at her waist.

"That's Nakagami Armour," Levy said, awe in her voice as she watched Erza turn, breathing heavily, and leaning on her staff as she walked towards us.

Sabertooth's green haired lightening wizard made the mistake Gray had downstairs. He too had turned to look at the bright gold flash of light, and in that second he was hit with four different attacks.

The force of it blasted him off his feet, and he flew through the air; deep claw marks from Lisanna gouged into his chest, and Macao's purple fire still burning as he flew backwards, skidding to a halt just before his Guildmaster.

Jiemma seemed to realised his two best fighters had fallen, and let out a roar of anger that triggered the biggest explosion yet. It blew everyone close to him off their feet, including the green haired lightening wizard, who was thrown across the room and hit the wall with a sickening thud.

"He'll bring the whole castle down on top of us," Yukino said, her voice quivering.

"No he won't," Levy said confidently, "Erza can dispel his magic with that armour. She leaves him open and we hit him with a strong enough attack, he'll stagger, leave everyone else an opening to attack.."

"I can't keep this armour on much longer," Erza warned, "you need to do something quick."

"Urano Metria..." Yukino said under her breath, turning to face me, and quickly slipping her hands into mine.

Yukino looked at Erza,

"When I say the word shine, dispel Jiemma's magic."

Erza nodded, and all of us staggered as Jiemma let off another explosion, making the ground beneath our feet shake.

"Do it!" I shouted over the rumbling of the ground shifting beneath us, and Yukino looked back at me, tightened her grip on my hand, and closed her eyes.

Her voice shaking slightly, she called,

"Survey the Heavens, open the Heavens! All the stars, far and wide! Show me thy appearance!"

A warmth washed over me, and I pushed golden light from my chest into my hands, sharing it with Yukino who contiuned to chant.

"With such shine," Yukino intoned, "Oh Tetrabiblos. I am the ruler of the stars! Aspect become complete!"

Objects like planets began appear around us, floating in the air and covered in different colours. They looked unrealistic, but I could feel Yukino's hand start to shake. I pushed more magic towards her, willing whatever this was to work, Jiemma's second explosion ending just feet from us.

"Open thy malevolent gate! Oh 88 Stars of the heaven!"

The planets started to glow gold, and Yukino turned her head, staring at Jiemma as she shouted,

"Shine!" I saw Erza swipe her staff through the air, and a golden light cut through the purple smoke of Jiemma's explosion, which stopped rushing towards us and split apart like the Red Sea.

"Urano Metria!" Yukino yelled, and the golden light of the planets flashed around us.

The planets burst forwards, soaring through the air like meteours, all flying at Jiemma who held out his hands, trying to cast an explosion to no avail.

All 88 comets struck Jiemma, making a sound like an explosion, but not creating any damage to the floors like Jiemma's magic.

The guild master was knocked off his feet, and Yukino clutched my hands tightly as she watched him fall, shaking as she watched Jiemma struggle to roll over.

Erza's body glowed gold and she fell to her knees, exhausted but watching as what was left of Fairy Tail ran forwards.

It wasn't just the Strauss siblings and the thunder legion, Natsu and Gajeel ran forwards too, eager to get in on the fight. Natsu's tail, wings and arms were engulfed in fire as he sprinted towards Sabertooth's guildmaster.

Jiemma had forced himself to his knees as Fairy Tail reached him, and he was flung up into the air with the force of all their attacks.

Gajeel and Natsu both jumped into the air, Natsu's wings spread out as they dragon slayers pulled back their fists, and punched Jiemma so hard in the stomach he flew back into an cracked the stone wall.

The Guildmaster fell to the floor, desperately trying to draw in breath, and making no attempt whatsoever to get up.

* * *

Once Sabertooth had realised their Guildmaster had fallen, the mages the Rune Knights were fighting fell into a panic.

With some help from the rest of Fairy Tail, the wizards of Sabertooth either gave up or struggled against being taken into custody. The Rune Knights began cuffing them all in the same magic-binding shackles I wore (though mine were now broken), and started taking inventory of the fight.

The captain of the Rune Knights (the only person wearing a cloak instead of a suit) walked away from them now he realised the fight was won, strolling over to Yukino, Erza, Levy and I.

Erza had requipped into her default skirt and blouse, and was still on the floor, falling back to sit on her heels, exhausted.

The captain told us he was ordering transport back to Fairy Tail for us, and Erza told him firmly that Natsu and I were to take the first car that arrived.

Though she looked like she wanted to start organising and order guildmates around, I convinced her to come with us, seeing as she looked close to passing out.

Natsu came over with a grin, his tail flicking from side to side, and the Rune Knight's captain stopped us before we could leave, giving Natsu his cloak to cover up 'non-human' parts. Natsu didn't look happy but pulled it over his shoulders begrudgingly, apparently thinking his wings were too cool to hide from the magically ignorant public.

We supported Erza between us as we walked out of Sabertooth's doors, and I shivered in the cold air as we came outside, the sky just starting to lighten - dawn was still on its way.

Thankfully the first car didn't take long to turn up, and Natsu and I helped Erza over to the taxi, the captain reassuring the driver that nothing was wrong, and giving him the address of the Guildhall.

I didn't recognise the town we left Sabertooth behind in, but Erza fell asleep on the journey back to Magnolia.

By the time we pulled up in front of the Guildhall, the sun was just about peeping over the horizon.

Natsu was too travel sick to bother about waking Erza, opening the door of the taxi before it'd fully stopped, and collapsing on the street outside.

I hestitated, not really wanting to wake the sleeping Titania next to me, and thankfully Natsu looked back inside the taxi when I didn't get out.

He was still a little green in the face, but thankfully he decided to pull Erza towards him, careful not to wake her as he lifted her out of the car.

I got out, carefully shutting the door, and the taxi drove away.

Still bare foot, I crossed the pavement to open the door of the Guildhall, holding it open for Natsu, who carried a sleeping Erza inside.

The place was completely empty, and it felt odd to be in the pub when it was so quiet.

I led the way over to the staircase to the infirmary, holding the door open for Natsu, and the both of us climbing in silence to the very top floor.

When we walked in, we found Wendy sleeping on a bed, still in her school uniform from yesterday. Carla was curled up next to her, and Happy was sleeping on the floor below her, clearly not allowed on the bed.

Natsu laid Erza on a bed as I closed the infirmary door, and as it clicked shut the blue cat stirred. I watched him blink blearily, the room lit by curtain veiled sunlight, and as he spotted us, he woke Wendy and Carla up with his yell of,

"NATSU!"

Happy ran towards his partner, jumping into his arms, and staring at his bruised chest in horror,

"What happened?!" Natsu scratched behind Happy's ears, smiling reassuringly,

"Ah this is nothing, you should see the other thirty guys." swinging her legs off the bed,

"You're back!" Wendy said, jumping off the bed, her eyes wide with worry as she saw Natsu's injuries and the cuffs still locked around my wrists.

"I'll go and get the matron," Carla announced, jumping into the air and flying towards the door.

I watched as she pressed the doorhandle down with a paw, and flew out of sight.

"Hey Happy," Natsu said gleefully, "wanna see something cool?"

I turned around to see Natsu whip off the cloak the captain had lent him, and both Wendy and Happy stared at his wings and tail.

Natsu turned to me, tapping the top of one of the horns barely poking out his hair,

"So...you gonna tell me about the whole wings and tail thing?" I felt all eyes on me, and my stomach suddenly dropped.

Were they really going to watch me while I fixed this?

"Okay," I said, taking a deep breath, "just don't freak out." Natsu nodded, watching as I took a step closer to him, and frowning as I slid a hand behind the back of his neck. I tilted my head upwards, lifting onto my tip toes as I kissed him, my magic burning in my chest as I pushed my tongue into his mouth, feeling my magic flow into him.

Natsu stood frozen as my magic flowed off my tongue, and after a few seconds I drew back, wanting to check that I was doing the right thing and not just making out with him.

Thankfully his wings and tail had vanished, but Natsu himself was staring at me with raised eyebrows.

Happy broke the stunned silence,

"Lucy liiiiikes Natsu." I scowled at him,

"I had to do that. That's what worked back in the dungeon!"

"Dunegon?" Wendy asked, staring at me like I'd sprouted wings instead of fixing Natsu's.

"Yeah," I explained, manipulating the truth slightly, "Minerva, this mage from Sabertooth, had us both in this dungeon, and she did something to Natsu. She'd put magic binding cuffs on me, and she told me she'd take them off and I could heal Natsu with my magic. But only if I gave up my keys. She wouldn't let me go, and I still had my magic trapped in my body, so the only way I could heal Natsu was if he was…y'know…put his tongue in my mouth and..."

I trailed off, my face blazing as Wendy's eyes travelled to the cuffs still around my wrists.

"But the magic-binding enchantment is broken," she said, confused, "surely you could transfer your magic to Natsu just by touching him?"

I didn't think it was possible for me to go more red in the face. How could I not have thought of that. Why did I have to be so stupid?!

Natsu let out a laugh, and I looked around at him, surprised but pleased to see him smiling,

"I think Lucy's been hanging around her spirits too much...clearly she's turning into a bit of a perve."

I glared at Natsu,

"I didn't think it through, alright!" Natsu snorted,

"Nah, I think you just wanted to kiss me. Right Happy?"

"Aye," the cat said happily. I crossed my arms, turning away from them,

"Don't be stupid, I did it to save your life."

"Save my life?" Natsu asked, frowning, "you got rid of my resemblance to a Charmander!"

Thankfully, at that moment, Porlyusica burst into the infirmary, and the argument was silenced by her usual yelling.

* * *

Porlyusica delcared all Natsu and I needed was rest, and began examining Erza after telling us to get out of the infirmary but stay in the guild. The logical reason was that she would probably need some beds for examining the others when they got back, but common sense told me that she didn't want to put up with Happy asking obvious questions every two minutes.

Happy stayed in Natsu's arms chatting merrily, and I followed them blindly as we descended the stairs.

Was now a good time to tell Natsu what Minerva had told me?

Should I let him rest first?

I knew he'd have questions I didn't know the answers to, and I also knew that Minerva might've been lying. But then, how did she know draining magic out of Natsu would result in him transforming? How did she even get her hands on that kind of information.

"Earth to Luigi?" I blinked, focusing in front of me again, and found that Natsu had stopped outside his bedroom door.

"Sorry," I said quietly, looking down at my filthy bare feet, "just thinking. I could really do with a shower."

Natsu jabbed his thumb over his shoulder,

"You can use the one down the hall. I'll grab some pajamas for you to borrow."

Natsu opened his bedroom door without waiting for my reply and walked inside, leaving me to follow.

His bedroom was a lot cleaner than last time, and I watched Happy jump up on the neatly made bed while Natsu opened his chest of draws.

He pulled out some pajamas and a towel, and I thanked him, leaving his room quickly.

The boys shower room was empty, most of the people who slept here still being at Sabertooth, and warm water in the shower felt amazing after being so cold for so long. My feet burned as feeling came back into them, and I scrubbed at my face with my hands, still having the make up on from the night before.

When looking in the mirror after drying myself of, I found I'd achieved a kind of panda eye look, but it was the best I could do without makeup remover.

Natsu's pajamas were soft, but being baggy on him, I looked a bit like I was drowning in material. I pulled the long pajamas sleves down over the shackles still on my wrist - I didn't know if Natsu could melt them off without burning me.

I walked back to Natsu's room, intending to sleep in the room full of sofas, but wanting to pop my head in to thank him again.

I knocked lightly on the door, heard him call out for me to come in, and opened the door.

Happy seemed to have left while I was having a shower, leaving Natsu sat on the edge of the bed.

He'd taken off his fancy clothes and put on some pajamas of his own. His scarf was hanging over the end of his bed, and he was wearing loose jogging bottoms and a tshirt - leaving his arms exposed and showing some of the bruising on his skin. I didn't realise I was staring until he spoke, forcing me to look up.

"Can you come sit down?" He asked, patting the bedcovers beside him. "I want to ask you something."

His expression made my stomach turn over.

Either he'd going to ask me if I like him, or ask me more about what happened in that dungeon. Hell maybe he was going to ask what the hell went on with Sting at the ball. I didn't know the appropriate answer to any of his questions.

"It's okay," he said, smiling when I didn't walk over, "it's nothing massive, don't worry."

"I'm not worried," I said defiantly, walking slowly over to his bed, sitting down next to him as he said,

"Luce I can hear your heart beat remember?"

My heart sped up at these words, and I looked away from him, pushing myself further back on the bed and crossing my legs.

Natsu did the same, facing me stoically, and not speaking until I looked up.

"...I know something happened," Natsu said slowly, "before I woke up in that dungeon. When I got knocked out by those Sabertooth losers at the council, I didn't have wings and a tail. Something must've happened, but I don't remember anything before Levy and Gajeel busted in."

"...I'll tell you," I said, looking down at my lap, "but you're not going to like any of it."

I saw Natsu nod out of the corner of my eye and took a deep breath.

"...Minerva, that woman Erza was fighting. She drugged you, kept you unconscious...and she wanted me, to release all the zodiac spirits from their contracts. If I did that, Nirvana would open...but I couldn't do it...because she told me why Nirvana was locked up in the first place."

I paused, fiddling with Aquairius' key around my neck, and taking another deep breath.

"Acnologia knew my Mum would be his downfall. The way he chose to stop my Mum, was to attack her soul mate's children. So his army destroyed Fairy Tail, making sure all the kids ran from the fight, and then he cornered the two kids he needed."

Natsu didn't say anything as I hestitated, and I stared at the soul mark on the back of my right hand.

"My Mum's soul mark looked like a fire." I said, not wanting to Minerva's story so bluntly. "She had a bunch of golden flames on her ankle, but there was this silhouette in the flames. It looked like a key, without any gold on it, just a shape on plain skin."

I glanced at Natsu, looking for some sort of understanding in his eyes. He was fiddling with his own soul mark, the sleeve of his t-shirt rolled up as he traced its outline, determinately looking down at his lap. Natsu's voice was so quiet it made my heart hurt,

"...it looked just like my Dad's soul mark."

"The kids Acnologia went after," I clarified, "it was you, and your brother. Acnologia manipulated Zeref's magic, made his living magic turn dark, made it uncontrollable. Zeref's magic created some kind of demon inside you, and it started eating your soul."

My eyes began to burn as I went on to the next bit, and I looked back down at my lap again, gripping Aquarius' key tightly.

"Acnologia took Zeref away," I said, "he just left you in the street to die...but my Mum came and found you. She used most of her magic to heal you, but couldn't get rid of the demon completely. She just repressed it with her starlight."

"Did Acnologia kill my brother?" Natsu asked. "After he took him away."

Natsu was looking at me with a blank expression, and my voice grew watery as I bit my lip,

"Minerva just said he used him, right up until Acnologia was locked in Nirvana."

Natsu said nothing, but I watched on tenterhooks as he got off the bed.

It happened seven years ago, there was nothing I could do to change it (then or now) but telling him all this made me feel like it was my fault. It made me feel like he was going to shout at me, ask why I didn't know more.

But Natsu said nothing, picking up the corner of his duvet, and getting into bed. He slid down to lie with his back against the wall, and though I didn't know he still wanted me there, I stayed sat there, looking back at my lap. Tears began to well up in my eyes, but I kept talking, feeling like I had to justify something.

"...After my Mum healed you, she went to fight Acnologia with the other dragons. Minerva said she'd put so much of her magic into you, she didn't have enough magic to destroy him. The only way she could stop him was by locking all the dragons up in Nirvana. But, to do that, she had to use every last bit of magic she had left. She used the twelve zodiac keys to lock the cage, putting the last of her magic and her life into them so the cage would hold."

A tear fell onto Natsu's sheets before I could stop it, and I hurriedly wiped my eyes.

"...In the dungeon," I carried on, "Minerva used something to draw my Mother's magic out of you. The demon started consuming your soul again, and you were in so much pain. She...she told me she'd let me out of the magic-binding cuffs, let me repress it with my starlight. But first, I'd have to give up the zodiac's contracts. I'd have to let the last of my Mother go, and let Acnologia out, let him finish what he started, let him destroy everything. What good would it do to let him out if I can't finish him? He'd just end up killing you anyway."

Still looking down at my lap, I saw a tanned hand come into view, picking up my right one and holding it tightly. Natsu's thumb smoothed over my soul mark.

I looked up at him to see him lying back on his pillow, his eyes slightly softer than they had been before, but it was still too intense to explain all this while looking at him. I swallowed, and focused his middrift, or at least the patch of duvet that covered it.

"...Those scales that come out in your dragon force...they covered your entire body. You grew these claws, and the wings, and your eyes started going red, and you were screaming. I tipped my chair over trying to get to you, and you dragged me closer. When I was near enough, you stuck your tongue in my mouth, and it must've passed the boundry the cuffs created with my magic, because you started to heal. The scales started dissapearing, and the wings probably would've gone too, but the others interrupted us."

I paused for a second, and looked up at him, the wonderful sight of green eyes instead of red breaking some kind of emotional barrier.

"I'm sorry I nearly let you die," I sobbed, holding his hand tighter, and screwing up my eyes.

Natsu seemed to move the duvet, and then I felt his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer.

Opening my eyes, I saw him trying to tug the duvet out from underneath me, and I crawled onto his sheets, only for Natsu to pull me down beside him.

He tossed his bed covers over the both of us, still holding my hand, and I bit my lip in an attempt to stop crying.

We were on oppsite edges of the bed, but it was still a single, so we weren't that far as he squeezed my hand comfortingly.

"Lucy..." Natsu said quietly, smoothing his thumb over my soul mark again. "You saved me _and_ the world this morning."

I looked down a little, speaking to his t-shirt,

"Apparently, it runs in the family." Natsu squeezed my hand again and smiled.

"Y'know," He said, "I'm kind of glad."

I looked up at him, and tried a small smile.

Natsu rolled over onto his back, still holding my hand, but speaking to the ceiling,

"I'm also kinda glad my Dad didn't marry his soul mate. It'd make all the times you've kissed me really wierd, and all kinds of wrong."

I rolled over onto my back too, staring up at the ceiling and huffing,

"You're the one that forced your tongue into my mouth." Natsu scoffed,

"First time I was _unconscious_ , there's no way that counts. Second time, you _were_ concious, and being a bit of a perve seeing as you didn't need to do it."

I turned my head on the pillow, frowning at him,

"I thought it was the only way to get rid of your tail and wings! And you specifically asked me to do that!"

Natsu turned his head to look at me,

"No I didn't! I asked you what happened, not if you could get rid of them! I looked like a dragon with those things! Thanks to you I can't fly without Happy!" I let out a sound of disbelief,

"Right, cause the council would just let you soar around Magnolia, with dragon wings, in broad day light."

Natsu wrinkled his nose and turned to look back up at the ceiling, frowning,

"Kill joy."

I smiled as Natsu closed his eyes, ending the conversation by falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Used Natsu's nickname in this chapter a lot, so let's have a (slightly horrifying) similarly themed fact;
> 
> A salamander can have its brain removed, chopped, shuffled, minced, put back in again and still function as normal.
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
> Hope to see you in the next chapter :D  
> M


	14. Sabertooth's Sanctuary

Lying on my side under warm bedcovers, I didn't want to open my eyes.

I felt tired, my muscles aching like I'd used too much magic, but there was a pleasant tingling sensation just above my hip.

My pyjama top had been rucked up my waist, and I felt a warm and comforting arm slung protectively around me.

I didn't need to open my eyes to know it was Natsu's arm. My skin was tingling the same way it always did when we touched, but it was the unsual heat of his skin that identified who was holding me.

Natsu's bedroom was dark, and opening my eyes I found the hallway light shone bright enough to throw Natsu's features into relief.

My stomach gave a small jolt, finding him lying so close to me, both of us on our side and practically nose to nose.

He looked peaceful for once. It was a little odd to see him relaxed, his shoulder rising and falling in time with his breathing. He was always 'fired up' about something, good or bad, so I'd never seen this side of him before.

I was always glancing at him quickly too, cautious in case he thought I was staring, and with him being so still I managed to take in things I hadn't noticed before.

He had a mole on his neck, and he had a freckle or two on his ear as well as his nose. It was odd to think, just hours ago, those freckles were hidden under red, angular scales.

Was Minerva right? Did Natsu, subconciously or not, only hang around me so much because of my starlight?

Is that the reason his arm is around me?

A subconcious reaction of his soul, making sure he keeps the magic he needs to survive, close?

If so, it was doing a pretty good job.

After the unnecessary making out in the infirmary, I knew I could transfer my magic by holding his hand...but if he transformed right now, surely that'd call for more drastic action. Rather than searching for his hand, it'd be much quicker just to lean forwards a few inches. Just for a few moments. I mean it worked so well last time.

The door burst open, and I rolled out of bed so quickly I almost landed face first on the floor, Happy's voice ringing out as he soared into the room,

"WAKEY WAKEY NATSU!" He yelled, soaring across the room and landing on the bed.

I pushed myself up to see Happy land on the bed, and Natsu scowled, mumbling,

"Wassa matter?"

I got to my feet, Natsu sitting up and rubbing sleep out of his eyes as Happy whispered very loudly,

"I think Lucy was perving on you while you slept..."

"I was not! I just slept with him!"

Oh god what am I saying.

"I mean, I slept beside him. He let me sleep in his bed...then he fell asleep."

Happy grinned up at Natsu,

"Does that mean— oof" Natsu had cut Happy off by cuddling him into his chest, wincing a little as he did so, pressing the exceed into the bruises covering his chest?

Natsu's face suddenly lit up, and he let go of Happy, looking over at me with a grin,

"Oh yeah, I forgot!"

Natsu shifted Happy to the side and dragged himself over to the edge of his bed. He reached down for the pile of clothing on the floor, picking up his trousers that I recognised were from the ball, and rummaging around in the pocket.

He withdrew something gold, and held it out to me.

I stared down at the gate key in his hand.

"...How?" I asked, a little dazed at collecting another zodiac key so easily.

Natsu cocked an eyebrow,

"What, you thought I was just gonna wait for you to get one of the council's frogs?"

I took the gate key from him and stared down at it,

"But...how did you get it out? You can't use magic inside the council."

Natsu shrugged,

"Loke caught up to me Thursday lunchtime, gave me a pocket knife, and said 'you'll know what to do' before dissapearing. I guess he knew I'd have to dig out the key, but thought being cryptic made him look cool."

I stared at Natsu,

"You took a pocket knife to a government sponsored ball?!"

"Its no big deal. If it ain't magical, the council doesn't care. Would've helped against those guys from Sabertooth, but some fancy guy swiped it off me when I'd dug the key outta the wall. He gace me this big speech about 'defacing public property' but my soul mark went all icy, so I just pocketed the key and ran to find you."

"It went icy?" I asked slowly, sinking down on the bed beside Natsu, vaugely aware that Happy was uncharacteristically silent.

"Not literally icy," Natsu said, "it just felt like it froze over. Must've been the love potion Yukino apologised for. S'pose it effected me as well as turning you all wierd."

I raised my eyebrows, determinately looking down at Aries' key, tracing the ram horns with one finger,

"I didn't know love potions actually existed." Natsu shrugged,

"Me neither. Dad told me Acnologia did a lot of experiments, trying to make magical weapons. If he's the dragon of souls, maybe he made something that changes who ya think your soul mate is?"

My mind drifted back to the ball, back to the moment I came to.

That feeling in my chest of something withering, drawing back from my magic, dissipating as Natsu kissed me.

The first time he kissed me.

I concentrated on the details of Aries' key, resisting the urge to revel in the memory.

The pause in our conversation suddenly felt awkward.

I stood up, about to make an excuse to leave but Natsu got there first.

"I'm gonna take a shower."

"Right, yeah" I said, nodding stupidly.

I made to walk towards the door, but realised as I stepped towards it that I didn't have my keys.

I looked around blankly, wracking my brains for where I'd put them last.

Natsu got out of bed and went over to his desk. Seemingly he'd read my mind, because he picked up two objects from on top of a pile of books,and handed them to me with a smile.

I took my keys and whip so hurridly, I fumbled with the ring of gate keys and accidentally dropped them on the floor.

Natsu turned away as I bent down to pick them up, rummaging through his chest of draws for clothes, and as I turned around to head for the door I caught Happy's eyes.

He was still sitting on the bed, looking between me and Natsu, completely silent.

Feeling heat creep up my face I strode towards the door, opening it, but stopping in the doorway, looking over my shoulder,

"Natsu?"

He looked up.

I held up Aries key,

"I never said thanks for this...so thanks.

Natsu grinned, his expression softer then it usually was, though dimples still formed in his cheeks,

"No problem Luce."

I nodded breifly, hovering in the doorway for a second (because the whole scene wasn't awkward enough) then slipped out the room.

I closed Natsu's door behind me and walked down the corridor of the boys dorms, my stomach aching with both embaressment and hunger.

Something had changed between me and Natsu. Sure, the kisses were a bit of a give away, but Happy's silence was the biggest red flag.

Whatever it was, I knew it was serious, and definately slightly awkward.

Why did he kiss me at the ball?

Did he do it because he knew I liked him, maybe he thought fulfilling my dreams would jog my memory? That by reminding me of what I wanted, I'd remember who my actual soul mate was?

Or maybe it was because he knew it would break the spell, maybe he worked out it was some kind of Acnologia inspired love potion?

"Lucy?"

I flinched, stunned to find myself outside the boys dorm, and half way up a set of stairs.

I turned around, looking for whoever had called my name, and saw Makarov standing on the next landing.

I wasn't quite comfortable with using the 'master' precursor to his name, so I addressed him as the school's headmaster, trying to conjure a smile onto my face,

"Afternoon Sir."

Makarov looked down at me solemly.

"Come up to my office child. I'm sure you'd like to talk…"

I frowned, unsure why he thought I'd want to talk, but the serious look on his face told me I was definitely missing something.

I quickly climbed the stairs, Makarov holding the door open for me, and I led the way into the room full of sofas. Makarov trotted in front of me to unlock his office, and I followed him inside, closing the door as the headmaster took a seat behind his desk.

Makarov gestured for me to take the chair opposite and I walked over to it, sitting down erectly, and realising with further embarrassment that I was still wearing the magic-binding cuffs beneath Natsu's pyjamas.

I pulled the sleeves down a little further, Makarov interlocking his fingers and fixing me with an expression of regret.

"I think I owe you an apology Lucy," he said, looking a little guilty, though I couldn't think why.

"The first time you walked into Fairy Tail," he continued, "I told you that there were very few mages like your Mother..."

Makarov trailed off, but I guessed what he was getting at,

"...Why didn't you tell me that she was a dragon?"

The Guildmaster sighed.

"At first, I was worried how you would take the news. So new to the magical world, and so enthusiastic, I didn't want you to think badly of magic. I know that it can bring much joy into the world, but you would've known that it was magic and one of our guild members, who was responsible for your Mother's passing."

I didn't quite know what to say to this, but Makarov didn't stop for me to comment,

"When Mira Jane informed me of you being Natsu's soul mate, my worry increased - especially with Miss McGarden's relentless digging into the past. I feared you'd reject the magical world if you learned the truth. That you might hate the magic that ties your soul's to Natsu's, and run. For your own safety, we would've had to bring you back by force, something I didn't want to do. But, as you've seen, it's a dangerous world out there, especially for what was an unexperienced celestial mage."

Makarov glanced at my wrists, where the metal cuffs were hidden under the sleeves of Natsu's pyjamas. I fidgeted uncomfortably, glad when Makarov moved on quickly,

"But then you grew closer to Natsu. You became quite close friends. Then the problem became, whether knowledge of the war would motivate Natsu to do something reckless. He was so devoted to his Father, I feared he'd put himself in danger to collect all the gate keys. He's a strong wizard, it's true, but even he can't take on all the dark guilds in Fiore."

Makarov sighed, and focused on his interlocked fingers,

"Yukino has told me what Minerva revealed to you, down in Sabertooth's dungeons. You know as well as I do, that even if all the gate keys were recovered, Nirvana cannot be opened. Acnologia's power is too great.

"He's the dragon of souls," I said slowly, a thought forming in my mind. "Minerva said Acnologia can warp souls - that's what he did to Zeref. But he's a dragon isn't he? Doesn't that mean he'd have to eat souls to recharge his magic?"

The Guildmaster looked up at me gravely,

"Magic is the manifestation of the soul, so he drained people of their magical energy. If he took all of it, the mage in question wouldn't survive. It's a habit I believe Zeref's demons have taken on - as you know from Natsu's demon, they consume the soul of the body in which they reside."

"Demons? Zeref made more than the one inside Natsu?"

Makarov nodded,

"The council believes so, especially after the information Yukino has given us. You see, very few people know about what truly happened in the war. They know that we barely won it, and that dark guilds were being led by Acnologia, but it is only the registered guild masters, and the highest council members who know the whole truth."

The Guildmaster's expression hardened.

"Yukino tells us that Jiemma, Sabertooth's old Guildmaster, tortured the information out a council member. He's been missing for months, but she confirmed his death at the hand of Jiemma. Jiemma went on to force Yukino to search for the keys to Acnologia's cage, and his captive dragon slayers to search for the books of Zeref."

"Books?" I repeated. "But…wasn't Zeref twelve when he— does that mean he's still alive?"

Makarov frowned,

"Where Zeref is concerned, the council is uncertain. The books however, aren't mere novels composed by Zeref. They are the prisons of Zeref's demons, trapped between pages of magical runes, in books hidden all over Fiore. All it takes to release the demons is for someone to open the book, and just one of those demons woudl give any dark guild an immeasurable advantage."

I paused for a second, digesting all this new information, but my thoughts were interrupted by a knock at Makarov's office door.

"Come in!" Makarov called.

The door opened just wide enough for Yukino to peek into the room.

She looked incredibly nervous, more so than usual, and I tried to smile at her encouragingly as Makarov asked,

"Is there something I can do for you child?" Yukino hesitated for a second, opening the door a little wider,

"Um…I wanted to speak to Lucy, but I'll wait outside.

Makarov stood up,

"Don't worry yourself child, you've caught us at the perfect time. I've just finished telling Miss Heartfelia all that you've kindly shared with me. I'll go upstairs, let you have some privacy in here."

Yukino bit her lip, looking somewhat guilty as Makarov walked over to the door. She held it open for him, stepping back with a slight bow, but Makarov stopped in the doorway, looking over at me,

"My door is always open Lucy, if you have any questions, I'll answer anything I can."

"Thank you," I replied, feeling a little subdued, not quite done processing all he's told me.

Makarov left the room and Yukino walked inside, closing the door behind her, and twisting her fingers anxiously.

I stood up,

"You feeling okay?"

She looked up suddenly, nodding, and pulling a small pouch out of her pocket.

She walked over and held it out to me,

"I...I'm sorry...these don't belong to me and I...I mean I wouldn't have taken them, btu I didn't have a choice and...well...I just wanted to return them."

I took the pouch from her, guessing what I would find inside as I opened it.

Sure enough, the pouch contained loose gate keys; a black one, three gold, and two silver.

I closed the pouch and held them out to her,

"They belong to you now. You have contracts with them." Yukino bowed her head, shaking it slightly,

"They only made contracts with me because they were being kind. Jiemma was going to kill me when I couldn't summon them, but they stopped him by opening their own gates...I heard what Minerva said about your Mother's contracts. They belong to you."

Unable to see her face I didn't notice she was crying until a tear dripped from her cheek onto the floor.

"Yukino," I said, taking her hand and pressing the pouch into it, "your contracts are exactly what my Mum would've wanted - she passed on her keys to keep me safe. Minerva said there's still some part of my Mother that lives within these keys. She chose to defer their loyalty to you, to keep you safe. They really are yours."

Yukino used her free hand to wipe her eyes then looked up at me, seemingly waiting for me to say I was joking.

I closed her fingers around the pouch and let go of her hand, smiling reassuringly at her.

She took a deep shuddering breath and opened the pouch, pulling out one of the golden gate keys, and holding it out to me with determination,

"Take this one then. Rufus only recovered it yesterday, so it's not contracted to me."

I took the key from her, feeling selfishly happy that I got one more key, then hugged her.

Yukino stiffened instinctively, but relaxed slightly after a few seconds. She didn't hug me back, but she did say in a watery voice,

"Thank you." I drew back, holding up my new gate key,

"Least I could do - you kept this one safe for me."

Yukino sniffed but gave me a small smile, staring down at the pouch in her hand, apparently processing the fact that she was actually going to be able to keep them.

"Shall we go upstairs?" I asked.

Yukino nodded, but waited for me to take the lead.

I obliged, walking across the room, and looking at her over my shoulder as I opened the office door.

"Can I ask you something about those keys?"

She gave me a small smile again, follwing me out of the office,

"Sure."

I began walking across the room, Yukino falling into step beside me as we headed for the stairs.

"Who's the black key?" I asked. "I don't recognise it, and I don't think it was my Mum's either. It wasn't in the mural at the magic council."

Yukino smiled,

"She's the 13th zodiac, Ophiuchus. "

I couldn't remember seeing any other gold keys in that book from Fairy Tail's library.

"Why isn't it gold?" I asked.

"I don't know, it's one of the things I never found out when I was researching them."

I raised my eyebrows,

"You were researching celestial spirits?" Yukino grimaced,

"Well…just after the war my house got burnt down. I was the only one not home, and by the time I got back there wasn't anything left of my family or the house. The only thing the firemen managed to recover was a set of keys in the rubble - the black key and the silver ones. I hadn't seen them before, but I knew they had to be magical to survive a fire like that. When I was old enough, I joined the guild with the biggest library, and found out everything I could."

I was a bit taken aback by this. I couldn't imagine someone as nervous as Yukino doing so much on her own. But, then again, maybe she wasn't so nervous before she was kidnapped by Sabertooth.

"Wow," I said, grinning, "that's really kinda amazing."

Yukino shrugged off the compliment, asking,

"Has Fairy Tail got a magical library?" I grinned at her,

"Yup. I'll show it to you, but first I think you should meet someone. You're gonna get on really well with Levy."

* * *

We walked out of the stairwell and into the pub.

I spotted Levy without too much trouble, but was a little surprised at the company sat with her at one of the pub's tables.

Levy was sat next to Lisanna on a bench, across the table from several people who must've been from Sabertooth - apart from Sting, I didn't recognise any of them.

While I'd slept, the story of what had brought Sabertooth here seemed to have gotten around. As Yukino and I walked over to the table, the Fairy Tail pub goers made a point of smiling at Yukino, clearly trying to make her feel welcome.

Levy seemed to notice the many heads turning to look at Yukino, spotting us before we got to the table. She waved us over, patting the space next to her and grinning widely.

I sat down next to her, and gave her a brief hug as Yukino sat across from me, on the end next to Sting. As I drew back from Levy, I noticed what was on Sting and his neighbour's laps.

The exceeds that had tried to steal Cancer both had their paws on the table. The red exceed looking disinterestedly at me, but the green furred exceed, still wearing its pink frog costume, pointed at me.

"You're the wrong blonde," it said dreamily.

"My name's Lucy."

The green exceed grinned at me, its eyes bright and wide.

Compared with the three flying cats in Fairy Tail, this green exceed (though somewhat cuter than Carla, Pantherlilly, or Happy) looked a little creepy.

I looked away from it to see Sting grimacing at me,

"Well...you know who I am," he jabbed a thumb at the man next to him,

"This is Rogue, shadow dragon slayer. Next to him is Dobengal," Sting pointed at the guy sat next to Rogue.

Dobengal looked like he was wearing a fancy dress ninja costume. In character, he was sat very still, nodding at me breifly but not saying a word.

Next to Dobengal, there was another person in a fancy dress costume. This guy kind of looked like Zoro, only where Zoro's clothes were black, his were red. He'd also added a massive plume of pink feathers to his hat.

"Rufus Lore," red Zoro said, nodding politely, "it's a pleasure to see you alive and well."

Sting rolled his eyes,

"Don't be so dramatic Rufus."

Rufus tilted his hat a little, obscuring a scowl, but my grip on the rest of the conversation as Natsu's voice almost exploded inside my head.

"BUT IF LUCY'S WORST ENEMY IS ACNOLOGIA, THEN THAT MUST MEAN THE CAGE HAS TO OPEN AT SOME POINT!"

I flinched, looking around wildly for Natsu, but couldn't see him.

No one but me seemed to have heard him shouting.

The only reasonable explanation was that my slayer hearing was to blame, but how I was using it without meaning to?

I heard Makarov's voice, shouting back at Natsu,

"We have no idea if the cage restricts Acnologia's power! For all we know, he may have manipulated Lucy's soul mark so that she felt bound to open his cage! He understands how soul mates work Natsu! She cannot open the cage to retrieve your Father without unleashing Acnologia on this world!"

I heard Natsu snarl,

"HIS NAME WAS ON HER WRIST! THE NAME OF A MORTAL ENEMY SHE HAS TO FIGHT!"

"And did you consider the fact that Acnologia is Lucy's mortal enemy, because _he_ was the one who tore her world apart?!"

"NO!" Natsu yelled back. "BECAUSE IF THAT WAS TRUE IT'D BE MY NAME ON HER WRIST! I'M THE REASON HER 'WORLD GOT TORN APART'! IF I DIDN'T EXIST, HER MUM WOULD'VE FINISHED ACNOLOGIA SEVEN YEARS AGO!"

"Lucy?" I jumped, looking around to see Lisanna staring at me with concern.

Levy had laid a hand on my arm,

"You okay Lu?"

I nodded dumbly, but jumped again at the sound of a small explosion from below us.

"Natsu…" I muttered, looking towards the door leading off to the stairs, Lisanna and Levy following my gaze quizzically.

The door banged open and Natsu ran out, most of his body on fire.

The flames made his skin look as red as his demonic scales, and it made my stomach drop uncomfortably.

"WHERE THE HELL IS THAT ICY PORN STAR?!" Natsu bellowed.

A cannon blast of water smacked into Natsu, dowsing his flames and leaving him completely soaked. He shook his head to get the water out of his eyes, glaring over at Juvia, who hadn't deemed him a worthy enough reason to stop making out with Gray.

She had a hand raised to direct the water attack, but apart from that was thoroughly occupied.

Steam started rising off Natsu, his clothes drying as he got ready to go up in flames again, but from the open door behind him stepped Jellal, who put a hand on each of Natsu's shoulders.

Jellal didn't seem bothered by Natsu's overheated body temperature, attempting to steer him calmly across the pub, and even smiling as Natsu glared at him over his shoulder.

"AND WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU WHEN WE TOOK DOWN SABERTOOTH?!" Natsu yelled, letting himself be pushed forwards as Jellal answered,

"I've been at the council, working. I wasn't at the guild when the message about Sabertooth came through."

Natsu scoffed, crossing his arms hortily,

"Not like we needed you anyway, I took down their guild master no problem."

Jellal raised his eyebrows, steering Natsu in the direction of our table, and catching my eye as he said,

"Really? I thought it was Yukino, Lucy, and Erza who took down the guild master?"

Natsu seemed to sense where I was and met my eyes for barely a second before saying,

"I could've flown away from the whole thing too, if someone hadn't gotten rid of my wings." Natsu and Jellal stopped at our table and Natsu pretended he'd just spotted me,

"Oh, didn't see _you_ there Luigi."

I rolled my eyes, looking away from Natsu, Levy asking Jellal,

"If you were at the council, doesn't that mean you were there when Sabertooth broke in?"

Jellal tilted his head,

"Sort of. I still have special ops training, so I was working in the council's…you could call it a magical area 51. I had to keep guard in the prison block. We thought Sabertooth was coming to break out all the dark guild members we've got locked away down there."

Natsu, clearly still in a bad mood, scowled,

"So how come you're not working now? Shouldn't you be busy helping cover up Sabertooth? Pretty sure someone might notice a massive castle has chunks blown out of it."

Jellal tapped the tattoo over his eye,

"Seeing as my soul mate was injured, they found it in their heart to let me look after her this evening. I only came down here to get her some dinner."

Lisanna poked a finger into my arm,

"You haven't eaten either have you?"

I shook my head, but before I could offer to get somethign myself Lisanna had stood up.

"I'll go get you two something," she said, getting off the bench and gesturing for Jellal to lead the way towards the kitchens.

By 'two' I was guessing she meant Natsu. Still, I got the impression she was using food as an excuse, not feeling all that comfortable around him.

Natsu himself was either pretending he didn't care, or hadn't noticed (I wasn't sure which was more likely). Levy and I scooted up the bench to make room foor Natsu, and he sank down in the seat beside me, scowling resolutely at Sting.

"Natsu, is it?" Sting asked.

Natsu continued to glare at him,

"It's Salamander." I elbowed Natsu gently, still aware of the amount of bruising he had, but quickly interjecting,

"You don't have to call him Salamander."

Sting looked from me, to a grim faced Natsu,

"Well, either way, I'm really sorry about the whole thing at the ball. I wouldn't have done any of it if they weren't holding Yukino over me."

Sting took Yukino's hand, and Yukino looked down at her lap, bowing her head guiltily,

"I'm so sorry...it's all my fault."

Natsu squinted at the both of them, seemingly making up his mind about something.

I was going to tell Yukino she didn't need to apologise, but Natsu bumped his shoulder into mine,

"Y'know Luce, I'm pretty sure they're gonna have to call me Salamander. Fairy Tail's pretty hot on nicknames. I s'pose if they're that big on looking out for their friends, they could probably fit in here."

The red exceed sat on Sting's lap, sat up a little straighter,

"Yukino and Sting aren't friends y'know - they're soul mates." Natsu shrugged,

"Yeah, so are me and Luce."

The green exceed stood up on Rogue's lap, looking over at Levy in confusion,

"But you said they weren't together-together…?"

At the same time Natsu and I said hurriedly,

"We're not dating!"

The unison of our voices made my stomach pang painfully.

I lent forwards, focusing on cheering up Yukino,

"What Natsu's trying to say is, he understands. Fairy Tail keeps each other safe. We're all here for you, whenever you need us, okay?"

Natsu sat back, his voice firm like he was giving Sabertooth a warning,

"Fairy Tail, is a family."

I rolled my eyes,

"Don't mind him, he's just a little protective. He always gets super emotional when it comes to the guild."

Natsu bumped his leg into mine, scowling,

"You say that like it's a bad thing! I care about my family. Is showing no emotion like metal-head any better?"

"I heard that Salamander," Gajeel called.

Natsu, Levy and I turned around, seeing Gajeel was walking over to our table. Natsu smirked and lent forwards carelessly,

"Well it's true! You have like three emotions; neutrally pissed, angry, and that creepy expression for whenever you play bad jazz on guitar."

Gajeel seemed to take this insult against his music to heart, because as soon as Natsu was within arms reach, he'd grabbed the scruff of his shirt and pulled him to his feet.

Flinging Natsu away, Gajeel planted his feet, Yukino looking a little scared as Natsu landed, regaining his balance with a yell.

When he turned around, he had a wide grin on his face, and as he clenched his fists they burst into flame. Natsu leapt towards Gajeel, yelling at the top of his voice,

"Oh you are _so_ in for it now metal head!"

Natsu tackled Gajeel to the floor, and they wrestled around, Sabertooth looking on in concern.

I rolled my eyes and looked over at Levy, who quickly jerked her eyes away from Gajeel. Smiling to myself, I asked,

"Wanna go find Lisanna?"

Levy nodded, rising to her feet, and barely blushing as I shot her a knowing look.

I turned to look at Yukino, who was watching Natsu and Gajeel cautiously.

"Wanna come with?"

Yukino looked apprehensive but Sting squeezed her hand encouragingly. After a short, shared glance between them, Yukino nodded.

* * *

Jellal was no where in sight when we entered the kitchen, but Lisanna was happily cooking beside Mira Jane. Both girls turned as we entered and Mira Jane left the eggs frying in a pan, rushing at me in a hug.

She gave me a quick squeeze, then hugged Levy,and finally a very surprised Yukino.

"I'm so glad you're all okay," she said, beaming.

I grinned at her,

"Thanks for coming to save us - that monster you transformed into was really cool."

Mira waved a hand at me humbly and returned to the cooker, picking up a spatula, and transferrin the eggs to a half full plate of food.

With food in hand she left the kitchen, devoting herself to pouring drinks now Lisanna had some help in the kitchen.

Levy walked over to the counter beside the cooker and hopped up on it, Yukino standing a little behind me, and Lisanna still stirring a pot of what looked like stew.

"Can I help with anything?" I asked. Lisanna shook her head, smiling at me gently,

"Don't worry Lucy, you've had a long day."

"No, it's fine, I want to help."

Levy rolled her eyes,

"Lu, Lisanna's too nice to say your cooking might poison the guild."

I grimaced, knowing she wasn't entirely wrong, and stayed silent as Lisanna asked,

"I do need some veggies diced if either of your two are up to it?"

To my surprise Yukino stepped forwards. Her hands were clasped in front of her, and her voice quiet, but she was smiling as she said,

"I'll help." She paused, seeming to think she needed to prove herself after my cooking skills were put to shame. "I have a lot of experience doing all the cooking at Sabertooth."

"All by yourself?" Lisanna asked.

Yukino tilted her head,

"It was the main reason Sabertooth let me out of the holding cells...apart from retrieving gate keys."

Lisanna smiled sadly and stepped away from the stew, follwing her sister's example and giving Yukino a hug.

Yukino didn't hug her back, but she didn't look uncomfortable as Lisanna said gently,

"I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Lisanna gave her a squeeze and drew back, Yukino hurridly wiping her eyes, and walking over to the chopping board next to the cooker, hiding her face.

Lisanna grinned at Levy, sidlining me looks,

"Thank god we've got someone else here that can cook."

"Hey!" I protested. "I just haven't practised much! I'm getting better!"

The two girls hitched expressions of disbelief onto their faces and I scowled at them,

"Fine, I see how it is, I'll just start washing some dishes…"

Lisanna grinned me in the arm,

"Don't be silly, I want to hear what happened! Master Makarov hasn't said anything, and Levy doesn't know what happened before she got to you."

I grimaced, feeling a little uneasy.

I was hesitant to tell Natsu's ex girlfriend all the details of last night, and to be honest, Natsu's demon problem wasn't my story to tell.

I did however tell them most of what Minerva had told me. I told them how she removed most of 'his' magic, and that she she'd let me heal him if I gave up my keys.

For it to make sense however, I did have to tell them that we kissed - something Lisanna took a lot better then I expected. If anything she looked impressed that transferring magic through a kiss had worked.

"So Minerva just stood there and let you make out with each other?" Levy asked.

"I think she thought I was saying goodbye or something." I said, shrugging, "When my magic started transferring, I think she kinda of realised, but I dunno. Before that, maybe she thought he was eating my face?"

Levy snorted,

"I mean he kinda was…" Lisanna actually smiled at this, and I rolled my eyes at the both of them, muttering,

"Whatever Shrimp."

This seemed to jog Levy's memory because she suddenly looked down at her watch,

"I'd better go find Gajeel - the Academy gates will close in an hour." Lisanna winked at her,

"Go get him girl."

Levy went faintly pink and looked away from the both of us.

She jumped off the counter, hurrying out the kitchen before we could tease her anymore.

The room fell into a semi-comfortable silence, Lisanna sharing a smile with me that (as far as I could tell) was genuine (not pained).

"I realised the other day," she said airily, "I never showed you what my soul mark actually looks like."

Lisanna pulled up the skirts of her red uniform, revealing the skin on her left thigh where the fake soul mark had previously been.

Her actual mark was white, just like the last one, and I actually recognised the shape from someone else in the guild.

It looked like a paper chain man, just one, arms and legs spread apart, and tiny triangles on top of his head like cats ears.

I'd never spotted the cats ears, seeing as Bickslow had a fringe, but it was unmistakably the double of the blue mark on his face.

"Bickslow…" I said slowly, looking up at Lisanna's face to check that I had it right.

She nodded.

I didn't really know what to say.

I thought he was a bit freaky, mainly because he had a habit of waving his tongue around a lot. Apart from the fact that he was part of the thunder legion and that he used puppet magic, I honestly didn't know anything about him.

"What's he like?" I asked.

Lisanna shrugged,

"I don't really know him." She dropped her skirt to hide the mark again. "He doesn't know about me either. I haven't had the courage to tell him yet. I mean, everyone in the guild knows I faked Natsu's mark, but my real one's been easy to hide seeing as its winter. In the summer, the weather will get too hot to keep it covered up."

Lisanna fidgeted nervously, and I tried to think of something encouraging to say. My train of thought stopped short, Yukino, Lisanna and I all jumping in surprise as the kitchen door burst open.

Of course it had to be Natsu poking his head through the door, grinning happily,

"Gramps wants me to walk you home Luce, you coming?"

I looked down at the pajamas I was still wearing. I couldn't really walk home in them.

"Err..." I said awkwardly, but Lisanna came to the rescue.

She'd turned back to the stew, but her voice still sounded cheery as she said,

"Your clothes are up in the store room. The council collected what was in your hotel room, and brought it back to the Guild this afternoon."

"Oh," I said, "thanks."

Lisanna looked over her shoulder at me breifly to smile, then turned back to the cooker.

Yukino was looking between us, a slight frown on her face.

I smiled at her, raising a hand awkwardly,

"I'll...see you both tomorrow...yeah?"

* * *

I found my bag in the store room like Lisanna had said, and Natsu waited outside while I changed.

I took off the borrowed pyjamas and put them in my bag, intending to wash them before I returned them. I changed into the clothes and shoes I would've worn the day after the ball, if we'd managed to stay the night at the hotel in Era.

Before leaving the store room, I summoned Taurus, thinking his axe would be able to break me out of the broken magic-binding cuffs.

I trusted enough in his promise to 'remooove without damaging that banging body' but it was still a little daunting to stay completely still while a massive bull raised a sharp, oversized axe over his head.

The cuffs broke in one swing, and I put them up on a shelf, sending Taurus away, and slinging my school bag and over night bag over my shoulder before leaving the room. Natsu was leaning on the wall outside, and he grinned at me as I emerged, letting me lead the way out of the pub.

We walked back to my apartment under the glow of streetlights, chatting idly and meeting no one on our way.

When we got to my apartment and I bent down to unlock the door with the key around my neck, and as I pulled it open, Natsu slipped inside before I could stand upright.

He climbed the stairs as I walked inside, locking the door behind me. When I climbed the stairs myself, I found him splayed out on one of my sofas.

The fire was lit, and Natsu was lying with his hands behind his head, breathing a big sigh of relief as I dropped my bags by the door.

"Just one week," he said dreamily, "then school is over for the holidays. You wait - no one does Christmas like Fairy Tail."

I toed off my shoes, trying to smile but only managing a grimace.

"You'll have to tell me what it's like."

Natsu raised his eyebrows, clearly confused.

"I've got to go home," I clarified.

He sat bolt up right, clearly appalled,

"You can't miss Christmas!"

I rolled my eyes, and walked over to him, pushing his legs off the sofa so I could sit down.

"I'm not missing Christmas, I'll just be spending it with my Father." I frowned slightly. "Well, I'll be spending it with the house staff. He's usually away on business." Natsu scowled,

"What's the point in going home for that?!"

I smiled weakly,

"I've got to go home at some point. Considering he's tried to have me kidnapped during term time, I dunno what he'd do to drag me home for the holidays. Besides, I've got to tell him what I'm up to sooner or later. Spetto knows where I live, but I doubt she's told him. I don't know whether I should mention which High School I go to. He might collapse from shock."

Natsu sat back in defeat, frowning sympathetically,

"That's a little messed up."

I shrugged,

"That's business...Anyway, having Christmas with the house staff is nice. And I'm staying for our school festival next weekend. That'll be good, right?"

Natsu raised an eyebrow,

"Well yeah, haven't you— wait, sorry, I forget you grew up in a bubble."

"Hey," I protested, "the academy still had a fundraiser, it was just really formal. I guess it's not Fairy Hills style to have a masked ball for students and benefactors."

"Yeah, no," Natsu said, grinning, "ours is a way more fun. All the clubs put on events, and there's loads of party games - all the food you can eat. I always save up money from missions for the cakes the cooking club makes."

Natsu glanced at me,

"You never joined any clubs did you?" I shook my head,

"Nah, I just get beaten up by Erza any lunchtime she has free. What's the track team doing?"

Natsu grinned,

"You'll see. You'd better bring some jewel with ya though! I reckon you'll want to put it towards my race."

"Sure I will," I said sarcastically.

Natsu smiled knowingly and changed the subject,

"Speaking of Erza beating you up, you look like you're starting to get the hang of fighting? You handled yourself pretty well in the Oracion Seis attack." I sighed,

"I'm getting better at hand to hand fighting. At least I think I am. It's either that or Erza's cutting me some slack. The magic side of things though, I haven't really got the hang of. Every time something gets really serious I end up passing out."

Natsu chewed on his bottom lip in thought,

"...I could give you some slayer based training - if it'd help? I've got some homework due for Monday, you could help me out with that in exchange?"

These words reminded me of something and I sat up a little straighter,

"You never got around to telling me that secret about Gajeel." Natsu shrugged,

"It wasn't anything big. Just thought I'd confirm for Levy that Gajeel's her soul mate."

"THEY'RE SOUL MATES!?" I shrieked, so loudly that Natsu actually slid away.

I scooted closer to him again, not caring that he was looking at me like I was mad, and listening intently as he said,

"It's a scroll and a nail right? Metal head's always eating screws like peanuts at the bar - I thought it was kinda obvious. Ever since he saw it on Levy, he's been trying to keep it hidden under the sleeve of his shirt."

"What name did he have on his wrists?" I asked, excitement flooding through me.

Natsu shrugged,

"I know one of the names was himself, but I reckon that's cause he's his own worst enemy. It's be a little sad to be your own best friend. Huh, bet that happened to Gray..."

Natsu smirked to himself and I let him stare off into space, jumping off the sofa and running towards my bag. I pulled out my phone, not turning as Natsu asked,

"What are you doing?" I didn't look up from my phone, starting to type out a text,

"I'm telling Levy about Gajeel, obviously!"

Natsu scrambled over the back of the sofa so fast he tipped it over.

I around turned just in time to jerk my phone away from him.

"Hey, Metal head made me promise not to tell! He'll kill me if he finds out I told you, and you told Levy!"

I grinned,

"Oh, are you saying you can't take him in a fight?"

"No!"

"Then what's the problem?" I asked sweetly.

Natsu hesitated for a moment, seeming to try and find an answer. Unable to come up with anything, he made a grab for my phone.

I ducked, leaping away from him and trying to finish the last key words of the text.

I got as far as 'Gajeel is your' before Natsu grabbed my phone free hand.

I held my phone as far away from him as possible, typing out 'soul ma' as Natsu pulled me into his chest, reaching for the phone.

He had longer arms than I did - holding it away wasn't going to do much good for much longer.

I tried to take him down, pushing my foot into the bend in his knee so that it buckled.

It worked well, but unfortunately Natsu was still gripping my arm, so I went down with him, falling on top of his chest.

I quickly tried to sit up, typing the last few letters as I rolled off him.

Natsu used the distraction of me texting to his advantage, straddling my waist before I could escape, but snatching the phone just as I hit send.

He stared down at the screen in horror, the phone making a whooshing sound to signal the text being sent.

Natsu groaned, pressing the phone into his forehead in defeat.

With him still sat on top of me I poked him in the stomach,

"Y'know, I could just tell Gajeel I saw his soul mark in the fight against Sabertooth?"

Natsu lowered the phone from his face, clearly thinking, and he looked down at me calculatingly.

In this moment of silence, the realisation of where we were (or rather where Natsu was - straddling me on the floor of my apartment) seemed to sink in properly.

I willed the heat rising up my face not to be noticeable, and either I failed, or the same realisation of what was happening struck Natsu.

He got up quickly, turning around and heading towards the kitchen.

I got up off the floor, and though he didn't look back at me, he called resolutely,

"I'm gonna make us some food, but then you definitely owe me some tutoring Luigi."

Fair enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apolagies for this kinda being a filler chapter, tried to add some fluff around the boring move from one arc to another :P Please accept this fact as a peace offering;
> 
> Humming bird's hearts are the size of the rubber on the end of a pencil, and they beat 10 times a second. To prevent them from dying while sleeping, their heart has to slow down, and it does this by the bird going into a sort of temporary coma.  
> I mean damn, I thought I was stressy xD
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
> Hope to see you in the next chapter :D  
> M


	15. Lucy's Sorta Supernova

I didn't have much food for Natsu to work with, but the stir fry he made was pretty damn good.

As promised, once we'd finished eating, we set to work on the history essay due in on Monday.

He hadn't brought any work materials with him, so I lent him my textbook and some paper. I even wrote the introduction of his essay, leaving it on the table for him to copy up.

It was mostly to stop him whining about how much I 'owed him' (spilling the beans on Gajeel's mystery soul mate) but I also knew his dyslexia made researching hard. Especially because he thought it'd be a good idea to try and do it all in one weekend, not spread it over the two weeks the teacher had given us.

While he worked, I got to work washing up the empty dinner plates and pans.

By the time I'd put everything away, Natsu had barely written half a page, and he was looking at the textbook the same way he usually looked at Loke.

I knew he was just fed up, because if he was completely stuck he'd probably be complaining by now, so I breifly slipped into my room and took some letter paper from my desk.

When I walked back out into the living room, I sat down next to Natsu, and set to work writing my address in the top right hand corner.

I looked up as Natsu let his face fall dramatically into the textbook. His voice was muffled by the pages, but it was something along the lines of wanting to just copy my work. I pulled what he'd written towards me and read through it.

On a spare piece of paper, I wrote down some corrections and starting points, Natsu looking at me all the while with pleading eyes.

I smiled stoically at him, handed back his essay and my notes, and ignored his continued staring as I went back to my letter.

His continued staring was creating very distracting butterflies in my stomach, and I kept loosing track of what I was writing. After several minutes of this, I tried to play it cool, and keeping my eyes on my letter, I asked,

"You okay?" Natsu made a discontented sound.

Clearly determined to put off the essay a little longer, he tapped the top of my letter paper,

"That doesn't look like homework."

"It's not. I'm writing to Mr Neville about Virgo. He only gave me her key on the condition that I update him on her powers, but I haven't written to him once."

Natsu sat up straight,

"Hey, you gonna summon that new spirit tonight?"

I shook my head, not looking up from my writing, but like Natsu was gonna give up that easy.

"Come on Luigi, you owe me for blabbing to Levy!"

Thinking about how powerful Aries must be to keep someone like Loke in line, I grimaced at him,

"Aries is the ram zodiac, Natsu - I'm pretty sure they'll attack by charging and smashing stuff with their horns. I don't wanna risk my apartment getting destroyed - you saw what Taurus did to Fairy Tail's library."

Natsu pouted,

"Come on Luce, if it weren't for me you wouldn't have that gate key!"

"The answers no. Now are you gonna get on with that essay, or should I summon Virgo? You could help me write a first hand account of Virgo's punishment regime. I'm sure Mr Neville would be appriciate it."

Natsu scowled and got back to work.

* * *

After finishing the letter to Mr Neville I got up, and strolled back to my room, depositing the letter on my desk. Seeing as I'd finished my homework, I took the novel we were reading for English Lit off my bedside table and brought it into the other room.

Natsu wasn't working when I re-entered and, spotting the book in my hand, he grinned,

"Not so caught up on work yourself, huh?" I smirked,

"Actually I'm re-reading it." Natsu's shoulders sagged in defeat.

"I just about managed chapter 1, it gave me a headache." I stared at him,

"Just chapter 1? You do know the end of term exam will be on the whole book, right?"

"Really? I had no idea," Natsu said sarcastically.

I took a deep breath, about to make a comment about him being lazy, but then remembered why he needed tutoring in the first place.

I sat down at the table and picked up a pen. Leaning over, I used the pen as a bookmark, closing the book over it to keep Natsu's page.

Natsu looked up in confusion as I sat back, thumbing through the pages of the novel, and stopping where Natsu had read up to. as I thumbed through the pages of the book, stopping where Natsu had read up to.

"Chapter 2," I read aloud, "The Market-Place."

* * *

Natsu seemed relieved to have an excuse to stop writing his essay, and put his feet up on one of the empty chairs as I read.

After I'd read chapter two, I suggested moving over to sit on the sofas, and Natsu readily agreed.

I don't know how long I read for, I only stopped when I started to feel cold. The fire Natsu had laid when we got back had gone out, and the room was becoming a little cool.

Looking up at Natsu, I saw that he'd fallen asleep, his chest rising and falling slowly, and that same peaceful expression on his face.

Irritated that I'd be reading needlessly for God knows how long, I debated on yelling in his ear to wake him up.

Thinking on it though, him being asleep, and apparently not intent on sleepwalking anywhere, might work in my favour.

I put the book down and stood up quietly, tip toeing over to a small cupboard and pulling out a blanket. I laid it down over Natsu then left the room, changing quietly into my pyjamas and getting into bed.

Despite having slept most of the day I was still tired. I guess repressing your soul mate's inner demon really takes it out of you.

I wondered dimly if this was how Mum felt after she healed someone.

I always remember her being so tired. She fell asleep in the middle of reading me a bedtime story once.

Comfortable in my bed, warm and drowsy, I couldn't help reminiscing about the times she'd accidentally fallen asleep beside me.

Memories slipped into dreams, dreams that were interrupted what felt like seconds later by my alarm clock.

It rang shrilly on the bedside table and I groaned. Relief flooded through me as it fell silent, but then I realised I hadn't touched the snooze button.

"Why is her alarm clock so goddamn loud?!" I heard Natsu say.

I threw off the covers and sat bolt upright.

Natsu was stretched out next to me, lying on his stomach, and was currently drooling onto my pillow.

I attempted to shove him out of my bed, but all I managed with groggy limbs was to turn him onto his side.

He frowned, screwing up his eyes as I yelled,

"I put a blanket over you so you wouldn't end up in my bed!"

Natsu opened his eyes again, looking at me with complete confusion,

"What are you doing here?"

I stared at him.

"This is my bedroom!"

Natsu sat up, rubbing his eyes, and my heart felt like it stuttered slightly as he ran a hand through his hair.

"You let me sleep here before," he mumbled, his eyes opening and looking first at my face, then down at my low cut pyjama top.

I covered my chest with my arms, a look of understanding flashing across Natsu's face, as he looked quickly back up at my face. He looked a little dismayed,

"You say that like you thought I wasn't going to sleepwalk in here!?" I glared at him,

"You fell asleep while I was reading, but you didn't go anywhere, you just lay there for hours. I thought if I put a blanket over you you'd stay put!"

"Why would a blanket help?! You lent me a blanket last time I stayed over and it didn't do anything!"

There was a thudding coming from downstairs. Clearly the landlady thought we were yelling a little too loudly.

I scowled, pushing Natsu towards the edge of the bed and lying back down. I pulled the covers back over me and scowled at him,

"Just go make breakfast." Natsu snorted,

"I thought posh people were meant to be polite? You speak to your servants at home like that?"

I shoved him off the bed, glaring as he stood up, grinning.

"They're not servants, they're house staff! And none of them climb into my bed while I'm sleeping!"

Natsu smirked,

"So you're only mean to pervy staff? Taking a leaf out of Virgo's book aren't ya Luce?"

I threw a pillow at him, which he dodged, walking out the room, and laughing as I shrieked,

"YOU ARE _LUCKY_ IT'S HER DAY OFF, DRAGNEEL!"

* * *

Once I heard the sound of draws being opened in the kitchen, I considered it safe to get up, showered and dressed.

Walking out into the sitting room, I found a large stack of toast on the table, and Natsu halfway through a piece.

He stood up when I entered, passing by me to use the shower while I sat down and ate.

I stopped before I made it to the table, hearing the sound of a text coming from in my overnight bag.

Quickly retrieving a phone with little battery, I opened a text from Levy and sat down.

She was asking what time I was gonna be at the guild, no doubt so we could have a proper chat about her soul mate situation.

I hurriedly replied, finishing breakfast and hurrying around the apartment to find my keys and whip.

When Natsu came out of my room fully clothed, I tried to hurry him out of the apartment, but he wouldn't leave without the 8 or so remaining pieces of toast.

I picked up the sheet of paper carrying his history essay, and grabbed some of the toast with my other hand to help lure him out the apartment. Then, running down the steps to my front door, I drew back the automatic lock, and rushed outside, holding the door open for Natsu.

He hurried after me, asking what the rush was as I thrust the toast and essay into his hands. I rambled about meeting Levy as I bent over, locking the apartment with the key around my neck, then striding off towards the Guildhall with Natsu in tow.

When we turned into the Guilhall's street, I spotted Levy at the other end, walking with Gajeel.

They both looked up as we came into view, and though Levy beamed at me, I was more concerned with Gajeel's expression.

He didn't look pissed off, and he wasn't glaring at Natsu like he was gonna skin him alive, so I took that to mean he hadn't seen the text I'd sent Levy.

I took off at a run, Levy following suit, and we crashed into a hug outside the doors of the Guildhall.

I didn't dare say anything with two dragon slayers in ear shot, but her squeal of happiness gave a good impression of how she was feeling.

Natsu and Gajeel caught up to us a few seconds later, neither having bothered to run, and both the boys were standing back. Levy and I were working off some of our excitedment by jumping up and down on the spot, unable to say anything in front of Gajeel.

"I take it back," I heard Natsu say, "you have four expressions."

Levy and I let go of each other and turned around to see Gajeel fixing Natsu with his 'neutrally pissed' expression.

"He can smile normally!" Levy said, grinning at Natsu's look of disbelief. "Yeah, he was determined to prove he had more than three expressions. So he tried smiling at me while we walked back to the Academy."

"Weird," Natsu said, frowning at Gajeel.

I grinned at Levy, knowing by the colour in her face that she'd been blown away by the smile. It was adorable.

Gajeel rolled his eyes at us and opened the guildhall door, ushering us inside with a wave of the hand.

Levy strode in first, then Natsu, but as I went to follow Gajeel threw out an arm to stop me.

"I want a word with you Bunny Girl." He said, his voice dangerously quiet.

Natsu had stopped just inside the Guildhall's doors, looking back at me with a wary expression.

Did Gajeel know I'd told Levy after all? Had he worked it out?

Carefully I looked back at Gajeel,

"Sure, what's up?"

"Follow me," he grunted, shepherding me inside, then leading me over to the staircase that led to the store room.

I followed him across the pub and up the stairs, crossing the upper landing, and walking towards the store room.

Gajeel opened the door and went inside. As I crossed the threshold, I saw him walking over to one of the benches, gesturing for me to shut the door.

I did as asked, feeling more suspicious hanging back by the door, and so walked over to sit beside him.

Gajeel rested his forearms on his thights, interlocking his fingers, and fixed me with a heavy look,

"I need you do be straight with me Bunny Girl."

I nodded slowly, bracing myself as he said stoically,

"I know it was Salamander that smelt really wrong at Sabertooth. What I don't get is why he barely smelt at all by the time we got to you. What happened?"

"Oh," I said dumbly, half glad he wasn't asking about Levy, but wary about revealing information that was kinda personal to Natsu.

Apart from Yukino and Makarov, no one else in the guild knew about what'd happened in Sabertooth's dungeon.

I knew it wasn't my story to tell, but I also couldn't help feeling it might be a good idea that another dragon slayer knew about Natsu's demon problem. What if something happened over Christmas, when I wasn't here?

Gajeel prompted me to speak by nodding, making me aware that I'd said nothing for half a minute.

I decided to tell Gajeel as little as possible.

I told him how Acnologia had manipulated Zeref into creating Natsu's demon, and how my Mum had saved Natsu with her starlight. I left out everything after, about my Mum locking the dragons away - or rather, that she wouldn't have needed to if she hadn't saved Natsu.

When I was finished Gajeel didn't look worried. That being said, Natsu had a point - Gajeel wasn't very facially expressive.

"You can tell Levy," I said, "but could you not tell anyone else? It's kind of a personal thing for Natsu."

Gajeel nodded solemnly and stood up, pausing as if to say something, but seeming to think better of it.

I stayed sat on the bench, as he walked stiffly across the room.

When he opened the door, he stood still for a second, and I looked up. He didn't look at me, but his head was turned so I could hear him speak.

"That punk's real lucky to have you."

He paused a second longer, and I could've sworn he was smiling, but I didn't see his face as he left, closing the door behind him.

"Thanks," I said quietly, left alone in the store room.

* * *

I changed into my red dress uniform and went downstairs, heading for the kitchens.

Inside I found Yukino sitting on a counter top, and Lisanna hugging Levy.

She drew back as I entered, grinning at me as I walked over to the sink,

"Levy was just telling us about her theories on Gajeel."

"Theories?" I asked, reaching the sink and picking up the rubber gloves next to it.

"Y'know," Levy said nervously, "just stuff I thought was odd before I knew he was my soul mate. There were a few things that seemed to make more sense if he was my soul mate."

"Like what?" I asked. Levy shrugged, smiling happily,

"Well, he kept going on about how I shouldn't let my guard down, even though he was walking me home. He told me I shouldn't rely on his slayer senses if I wanted to be a better mage. I mean, at first that made sense, but when I started to like him, I let myself think that it was cause of the 20ft rule. Y'know, slayer senses being less effective around their soul mate.

"And then there were a few times I found him a few times in the library, hiding in the stacks, reading books upside down. Like he'd just picked one up and was pretending to read, y'know. I thought, maybe, he might like me back. Especially cause, at Sabertooth, he made me stay a long way behind him because he was a more expereinced mage.

"It could've been to protect me if we met anything on the way, but it also tied in with the 20ft rule, letting him sniff you out. Wishful thinking apparently wasn't that wishful."

I grinned at her,

"Well, since when are your theories ever wrong?" Levy grinned back at me, but Lisanna diverted the conversation suddenly,

"Talking of theories Levy...you haven't ever come across the phrase tower of heaven, have you?"

Levy shook her head, but the phrase sounded familiar to me, though I couldn't think where I'd heard it before.

"What is it?" Levy asked.

"They're one of Acnologia's gangs," Yukino said quietly, "I think they're responsible for burning my house down."

Levy grimaced,

"Oh. I'm sorry Yukino. I haven't heard of it, but we could looking in the library, I haven't checked—"

"Erza!" I blurted out. Everyone turned around to look at me.

"Erza mentioned it," I said quickly, "she was talking to Erik, or Cobra is it? The one who came back from the Oracíon Seis? When I was coming to in the infirmary, they were talking about it."

"What did they say?" Yukino asked.

I screwed up my eyes, trying to remember,

"They stopped talking when they realised I was waking up...but, before that...Erza was saying it was something that only Makarov and the veterans knew about."

Yukino slid off the countertop, a look of determination on her face,

"I'd like to speak to Erza."

Lisanna, Levy and I shared a quick glance, and Levy took a step fowards,

"I don't think you should just ask her outright. And Erza isn't the sort of person you want to try and force information out of."

Yukino didn't look swayed, so I stepped in,

"What we mean is, brute force isn't going to work. You'll need cake."

"...Cake?" Yukino asked. Lisanna grinned,

"Erza's a weapon expert. The only weapon you'll be able to win against her with is the bakery."

* * *

Levy left with Yukino to buy cake, Lisanna and I getting to work in the kitchens.

When we took our mid morning break, we came out into the pub to see that the girls had returned. They were sitting across from Erza at a table, a cake box between them, and the elaborate writing on the side telling me they'd gone all out.

It was from Erza's favourite bakery, on the other side of Magnolia.

Lisanna and I waited behind the bar, watching them. My jaw dropped as Erza pushed the cake box back across the table, stood up, and left Yukino and Levy with a neutral expression.

Lisanna and I glanced at each other, waited until Erza had gone through the door leading to the dorms, then rushed out from behind the bar.

Not wanting to draw too much attention, we didn't run over to their table, but we got there before they could leave, Lisanna and I sliding on the bench Erza had just vacated.

"What just happened?" Lisanna asked.

Levy didn't answer. She was staring at the table with the expression she always wore when piecing something together.

Seeming to sense this, Yukino answered,

"We asked for some information in return for the cake. She seemed really happy until we mentioned the tower, then she went all stiff."

Yukino's face was set with dangerous determination again, and she looked around at the three of us,

"So what now? Ask your Guild Master?"

"No," Levy said sharply, "he wouldn't tell me anything about the dragons, and I think this is something he'd like to keep quiet. Erza might've gone to warn him that we're asking questions...I think we should check the library, just in case there's something there they haven't gotten rid of yet."

Levy stood up and Yukino followed suit, both girls setting off towards the library staircase at a run.

"It's a bit fishy, isn't it?" Lisanna said slowly, watching them go.

I nodded.

"Makarov told me he was going to be upfront about all hidden information. But, obviously, that's just about information on my Mum. What's Erza got to hide?"

"I can't of think of much," Lisanna said, "She joined Fairy Tail with Jellal, back when we were kids. It was just after the war, so I thought they must've lost their parents like me. But what if they got mixed up with this gang?"

I frowned skeptically,

"Brainwashed or not, I can't see an 11 year old Erza burning down a house with a family inside."

Lisanna shook her head,

"I don't mean she was directly involved. A lot of kids went missing before the final battle in Magnolia. My Dad thought the dragon of souls was behind it."

"Why would Acnologia want kids?"

Lisanna shrugged cluelessly, pulling the cake box towards her, her finger tracing the writing on the side in thought.

I looked down at the table, frowning slightly.

I knew Zeref's transformation had been just before the final battle, but maybe his transformation was a magic Acnologia had to perfect? Was he practising on other kids before hand?

Natsu said he was experimenting. Was he trying to make kids into weapons?

Did Erza have anything demonic about her? She was strict, yeah, but surely her anger couldn't have a demonic side.

There was a yell from my right and I leaned back instinctively, well used to avoiding flying objects at Fairy Tail.

Instead of a chair however, Natsu landed on the table spread eagled, and thankfully missing the very expensive cake which Lisanna had pulled onto her lap.

He grimaced, rubbing his head as he sat up slowly, his eyes going from Gray on the other side of the room, to me, and then Lisanna.

Lisanna quickly looked down at her lap, and Natsu turned back to look at Gray, saying gruffly,

"Luigi, I need to borrow your Ram spirit."

I glared at him,

"I thought you promised to stop with that nickname?"

Natsu turned his head, his eyes moving, but stopping before they focused on me, glaring at someone walking up to the table.

"You are not using my girlfriend as a pawn, Natsu" Loke said, stopping at the end of the table, his hands in the pockets of his green parker jacket.

Natsu made a scoffing sound,

"Like Lucy would ever date you, pussy boy." Loke rolled his eyes,

"Seeing as I already have a girlfriend, I wouldn't ask her to."

Loke winked at me, like we had some kind of in joke, and at the sight of fire coating Natsu's fingetips I reached into my pouch of keys. I didn't want to deal with another fight between them right now.

"Open, gate of the ram!" I said firmly, my fingers wrapped around Aries' key.

There was the sound of a doorbell, and puff of pink spirit smoke appeared at Loke's side.

Aries emerged from it, looking nothing like as threatening as Natsu might've hoped.

She looked positively cute, with a small pair of rams horns petruding from her pink bushy hair. She wore a fluffy white dress, and ruff around her neck, both made out of wool. I wasn't really surprised to see the dress, though very thick, was pretty revealing. Like Loke would date someone who wore anything ankle length.

Still, the fluffy white boots with pink bobbles ensured she looked cuddly rather than promiscuous, and she looked happy but a little nervous as Loke reached out, looping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer.

Aries smiled at me, one hand fiddling with the ruff around her neck as she said,

"I'm sorry I haven't seen you in so long Miss Lucy."

She bowed a little, then turned to Natsu,

"Aa-and thank you for returning my key to her. Sorry to be a bother..."

Natsu grinned, crossing his legs on the table,

"Piece of cake, don't worry about it!" He lowered his voice to a stage whisper. "Listen, whatever the pussy cat's got over you, I can hold him down if you want to run."

Aries cuddled closer to Loke and smiled up at him. Loke raised his eyebrows disdainfully at Natsu,

"For the last time Natsu, just cause you can't keep a woman, doesn't mean the rest of us can't."

Lisanna shrank a little in her seat at this, and Natsu looked like he was trying to work out how to hit Loke without hurting Aries.

Being closer, I punched Loke in the arm,

"Talking of keeping your woman, what's this about being super cryptic with Natsu at school?"

Loke looked puzzled.

"When you told him to bring a knife to a government ball?" I prompted.

"Oh," Loke said, "that...well I'm not allowed to tell you where any of the keys are, am I?"

"Why the hell not?" Natsu asked.

"Orders," Loke said casually.

"Orders from who?" I asked.

Loke shrugged in a kind of noncommittal answer, and this aversion to detail reminded me of something.

"Y'know," I said slowly, "Virgo said something similar a while ago. Something about being forbidden from answering a question directly."

Loke looked uncomfortable,

"We've been told we're not allowed to tell you too much."

"By who?" Natsu pressed.

"We can't tell you that." Loke said.

Natsu opened his mouth to ask something else, but hestitated as Sting sidled up to the table, asking,

"Anyone seen my girlfriend?"

Loke, clearly glad of the change of subject, smirked,

"Finally, something Natsu can't have to ask..."

There was a flash of pink, and suddenly all I could see and feel was pink wool.

It was oddly warm, and in the few seconds that it surrounded me I felt a little drowsy. The feeling faded as the wool turned to pink spirit smoke, dissapating like smoke blown away by the wind.

When it cleared, I saw Natsu was now sitting on the bench directly opposite me, rubbing his eyes as if tired.

Lisanna was now looking up from her lap, and looked calmer, which I assumed was due to the wool.

"I'm sorry about his behaviour," Aries said quietly, bowing slightly to Natsu then turning to me, "Miss Lucy, if you think it best, I can try and prevent him from disrespecting your lover in future."

I felt Lisanna shrink a little next to me and I said hurriedly,

"Natsu's not my lover! If Loke's spreading that around in the celestial world..." I hesitated, Aries looking like I was shouting abuse at her instead of ranting about Loke. I smiled apolagetically,

"Don't worry about it Aries, he's always trying to rile Natsu up. Thanks for stepping in though."

She bowed her head,

"I'll be here any time you need me."

I smiled at her, but Aries didn't dissapear.

She pressed her hands together, and when she pulled them apart, a little ball of pink fluffy wool lay in the palm of her hand.

She held this out to Lisanna, who looked stunned, and only took it after Aries gave her an encouraging nod.

Like the wool that had just surrounded us, the little ball of fluff seemed to relax Lisanna, and she gave Aries a small smile.

Aries smiled back, bowed once to Natsu, then disappeared in a puff of pink spirit smoke.

The pink ball of fluff in Lisanna's hand, though smoking slightly, stayed while Aries had left.

Well, at least I had one nice spirit.

Natsu broke the silence,

"How the hell can someone so cute, end up with such an asshole?!"

I jumped as Sting spoke, forgetting he was still here.

"No idea man," Sting said grinning sheepishly, "been asking Yukino that question for years."

Natsu shook his head and got off the table.

Before he could leave, I said quickly,

"Hey, don't forget you said you help me with my slayer powers after work!"

Sting raised his eyebrows,

"What kind of stuff you working on?"

Natsu frowned for a second, clearly thinking, then retorted,

"Why, you interested in some tips?" Sting shrugged,

"I've got a few things that my Dad taught me before the war. I could show you if you're interested."

I nodded enthusiastically,

"That'd be great, thanks!"

"I'll join ya," Natsu said quickly, "it'll probably help if Luce to warms up with your stuff."

Sting smirked and nodded,

"Sure thing. Come find me when 'Luce' finishes her shift."

I frowned, feeling slightly uncomfortable when that nickname came from someone who wasn't Natsu.

Natsu seemed to feel the same, because as Sting walked away, he shouted after him,

"Her name's Lucy ya know!"

* * *

The Sunday shift finished early, as usual, and after I'd washed up the dishes from lunch, I went up to the store room and changed back into my normal clothes.

Natsu met me at the bottom of the steps, leading me over to Sting, who was sat at one of the tables in the guild. But he wasn't sat alone.

Not only was the other dragon slayer from Sabertooth there, Cobra and Gajeel were also sat around the table, all of them looking pleased as we approached.

Sting explained that he'd gathered all the dragon slayers that were of age, thinking it best if we all train together.

He'd asked Makarov to use Fairy Tail's training room - a part of the guild I'd never used before.

It was up the library stair case, seemingly below the infirmary, because the training room seemed as big as the pub floor below.

It was padded like an asylum cell, helping to soften the blow if anyone got thrown against the wall, and there were symbols printed on the fabric of the padding. I didn't know anythign about magical runes, but I guessed that they'd contain magic to this room. I only hoped they'd work with dragon slayers.

Sting walked out into the centre of the room, and turned to face us, crossing his arms.

"So," he asked loudly, "what am I dealing with here? Can any of you hold dragon force?"

Natsu rolled his eyes,

"Obviously we can all use dragon force. Lucy passes out every time she uses it, but she can still do it."

I elbowed Natsu irritatedly, but was a pleased to see Sting looking skeptically at Natsu,

"So you can use dragon force without injuring yourself?" Natsu smirked,

"Well with my fire power, you can't really help fracturing something when you punch so hard." Sting smiled,

"Actually you can. Any dragon slayer _can_ summon dragon force if they get riled up enough, but it takes training to use it without damaging your own body. From what you're saying, when you use dragon force, you open the flood gates. All you really need to do is turn on the tap."

Sting beckoned Rogue over, saying,

"We'll show you how it's done. It's easiest to do in partners, especially when learning. If you're close enough, like me and Rogue, you can also learn to combine your dragon force."

Rogue walked over and stood next to him.

At a nod from Sting, both boys were engulfed in what looked like wind made liquid. Rogue was enveloped in shadows that looked like black flames. Sting looked like he was standing on a spot light, though the light itself seemed to be coming from him instead of the floor.

As we watched, both boys had scales appear on their face, Rogue's growing up from his neck and over his cheeks, Sting's trickling down from his temples. At first they looked fluid, but as the light and shadows dimmed they hardened, shining like glass stuck to their skin.

In a few seconds, all of the light and shadows dissapeared, leaving them both still scaly, and their hair looked a little windswept despite the stillness of the room.

"See?" Sting said. "We need to access the full extent of our dragon force to transform, but then you limit the flow of power."

"What's the point in limiting our power?" Natsu blurted out. "If we come up against some dark guild, we're gonna want to hit em with all we've got?!"

Gajeel shifted,

"Punk's got a point."

Rogue bowed his head calmly, like a teacher reassuring his apprentice.

"That might be true. But if you train with your dragon force at a more constant, lower level, your body will acclimatise to its power. When you do need to 'hit them with all you've got', your body will take less damage from your magic. You'll also have better magical stamina, so you'll be able to stay in dragon force for longer."

"So how do we tap into it?" Cobra asked.

"Well, dragon force is like a magical adrenaline rush." Sting explained. "Magic feeds off of emotion, but the problem with dragon slayers is we tend to feel too much, which makes the dragon force very difficult to control. Course, you'll need a thought to help you access your full power to start with, but you can't stay that emotional, you need to find some sort of middle ground determination to keep using it."

I had a feeling Natsu was gonna find this really hard. Fire doesn't really do lukewarm.

"It's easier if you close you eyes." Rogue said quietly, gesturing for us to do so.

I did as he suggested, trying to think first of a middle ground thought before I went for full dragon force.

"Lucy, stop staring at Natsu," Sting drawled.

I frowned, opening my eyes, but Sting wasn't looking at me. He was smirking at Natsu, who was glaring at him, his bottom jaw clenched.

Wait, was Natsu just staring at me?

"Eyes closed Natsu," Sting said jovially.

Natsu clenched his fists and screwed up his eyes. Standing right beside him I could feel the air around him rising in temperature. Flames roared over his whole body, like Rogue's shadows only orange, and I watched him a little apprehensively.

The red scales appearing over his cheeks and arms made my stomach turn over.

It was so similar to his demonic scales.

The memory of his face in Sabertooth's dungeon, contorted with pain, forced itself into my head.

It made my heart ache.

Would he transform trying dragon force now? I didn't know if I had much more starlight to give? I was still pretty empty, despite having slept so much.

Still, with the thought of Natsu at the forefront of my mind, golden light burst from every pore in my skin, and I saw that golden glitter cascade down my arms, just as it had at the lantern festival.

Unlike the festival however, it didn't fly off, the glitter conglomerated, hardening into angular shapes, forming into scales. They felt like they were giving off heat, like the light shining from them was physically hot.

I felt a little light headed, the golden light was pulsing in time with my heart beat, which sped up visibly as Natsu looked at me with red eyes. His pupils were slits, inhuman looking, and panic erupted inside my chest, the golden light flashing blindingly bright.

I shut my eyes, the ball of magic in my chest ached painfully, like I was underwater, my lungs burning from lack of air.

I tried to focus on something to calm me down. Last time it'd been my Mother.

What had she said to me? Why wasn't she saying anything now?

I think my feet left the ground, I wasn't entirely sure. I definately felt a pair of arms wrap round my waist.

There was something warm on my lips. Whatever it was, it exactly was what I needed.

Like putting a plug in a sink of draining water, the light in my chest stuttering a little, and the golden light around me vanished.

There were definately arms around my waist, and...someone was kissing me.

Seemingly as soon as I realised this, the pressure on my lips vanished. I was gripping the shirt of the whoever holding me up.

"Lucy?" I heard Natsu ask.

It took all the strength I had to open my eyes, everything I had to not pass out.

His face was so close to mine.

"I...did you just?" I pressed my lips together, my eyes flicking down to Natsu's mouth.

"I panicked," Natsu said, as if that explained anything, "you started floating in the air, and I felt something in me go funny."

I looked up into blissfully green eyes and felt my vision wobble. I blinked, hard, determined to stay awake.

"Has that happened before?" Sting asked, reminding me that it wasn't just me and Natsu in the room.

"Sort of," Natsu said, "every time she's used dragon force she's passed out. But nothing that big has never happened before."

Sting looked concerned. Rogue was looking at me like I was something that made no sense.

"Your power seems far more unstable then ours," Rogue said quietly. Sting cast him a short look then smiled encourgingly,

"Yukino's been researching celestial magic since forever, maybe we should ask her before trying again?"

"Not today," Natsu said solidly, "Levy told me celestial magic is really exhausting, and we were at Sabertooth yesterday. She needs rest. I'm taking her home."

Natsu let me fall back a little so he could sweep an arm under my legs, picking me up and holding me close.

He was too warm and I was too tired. I couldn't help falling asleep.

* * *

When I came to, I found myself in bed. The room was warm, and the covers were pulled up to my waist.

I blinked slowly, turning my head towards the only light in the room.

My desk lap was on, and Natsu was at my desk, my history textbook in front of him as he finished his essay.

Hearing the rustle of my sheets he looked up, smiled as he saw I was awake, and walked over, sitting down on the edge of my covers.

"Did you want anything to eat?" He asked.

I shook my head, but it hurt, so I stopped quickly. I was clearly very tired, because I didn't even hestitate to ask,

"Why did you kiss me?"

I felt my stomach give a feeble flip, my brain only just catching up, realising what I'd just asked.

To my surprise, Natsu shrugged quite casually,

"Sting said to control dragon force, you need to find some sort of middle ground. Considering how you went super saiyan, I reckoned you must be stuck on something bad. Since you've gone and kissed me so much, I thought kissing you might shock you back to normal."

There was a heavy pause, Natsu looking away for a second, squinting at the light. Before it grew awkward, he looked back at me,

"What were you thinking about, anyway?"

I felt my heart clench painfully as the memory flashed across my mind.

"Sabertooth." I said quietly.

"Was it something that Minerva said?"

I bit my lip,

"No. I just...I remember so clearly, when you were transforming...You were in agony, wings ripping out your skin and horns through your hair. Those scales weren't just on your cheeks, you were completely covered...dragging yourself towards me with these huge claws...and you had the same eyes you get when you use dragon force. "

"Must've been pretty scary." Natsu said softly.

"It was terrifying." I said, finding myself rambling now that I'd started talking. "I kept thinking you were going to transform, there in the trainingroom. Maybe my starlight wasn't good enough, maybe my Mum's was more effective. What if dragon force affects my magic in a way that it didn't affect my Mum's. She was way more experienced then I am..."

Tears fell from my eyes so quickly, I was hardly aware I'd started crying.

My hands felt heavy with tiredness, and I wiped the tears away clumsily, gripping my sheets to keep myself from crying even more.

Natsu moved up the bed a bit, and took my right hand in his own, his thumb smoothing over the pink soul mark.

"Your magic is just as good as your Mum's, I can feel it." I opened my mouth to protest but Natsu seemed to know what I was going to say,

"I know I can't prove it, but that doesn't matter. If your Mum's magic is better because of experience, well, her magic is in your keys right? I'll just swallow Loke's key...or actually Aquarius' might be a good idea. She'd get so pissed I reckon Acnologia wouldn't stand a chance."

I let out a watery laugh, thinking about Aquarius kicking a dragon's ass. Hell, I bet she could take half the dragons in the council's mural if she was pissed off enough.

"What did your Dad look like in dragon form?" I asked, trying to picture it.

Natsu grinned,

"I never saw that, but he showed me his dragon force. I can remember asking him how he did it, and he told me and Zeref about how magical cores work. He said a friend of his, told him magic is really just the fire in your heart. He had this huge appetite, so he reckoned it was more like a fire in his belly. Hence the family catch phrase."

There was a small leaping feeling in my chest, and I smiled at Natsu,

"That friend was my Mum." Natsu raised his eyebrows,

"I thought your Mum hid everything about magic?" I shook my head,

"She did. But when I've gone into dragon force before, I've heard her voice in my head. I think it's her magic in my keys. When we were at the council, I didn't know how to use my magical core to go into dragon force. She told me that magic was nothing more than a fire in your heart."

I put a hand over my magical core in my chest, where an aching feeling told me that I wouldn't be using magic for the next few days at least.

Natsu was staring at the hand over my heart, but looked away quickly, is face almost red in the dim light coming from the desk.

He stood up, walking over to it, and saying heartily,

"So! I'll meet you outside your apartment tommorow - for school." He turned off the light. "Yeah."

He walked back over to me and jumped up onto my bed.

"What are you doing?" I asked, staring as he climbed over me.

"The door's locked Luce," he said obviously, opening the window and turnign to me with a grin, "now are you sure you're strong enough to lock the window after me?"

I rolled my eyes and shoved him lightly, my heart thumping at the grin he gave me as he hopped onto the window ledge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANOTHER CHAPTER, ANOTHER FACTEROONY, ARE YA READY KIDS?
> 
> You can be denied citizenship in Switzerland for being too annoying.  
> Like wow man.
> 
> Thanks so much if you're commenting, it really makes my day ^_^  
> Hope to see ya in the next chapter :D  
> M


	16. Dealing With A Distressed Dragneel

I jolted awake at the sound of my alarm, my chest aching the way it always did when I used too much magic.

I hauled myself out of bed a little slower than usual, washing and dressing for school, half expecting Natsu to knock on my window pane any minute. But there was no tapping on the glass, and the doorbell didn't ring either. Was he actually being polite and just waiting?

Grabbing my school bag I descended the stairs leading out of my apartment, looking curiously through the glass in the door at the bottom. It was blurry, and the head of hair outside was red not pink.

I opened the door, not entirely sure why Erza was here, and very sure it could mean nothing good.

As I opened the door she smiled at me cordially,

"Good morning Lucy, how are you?"

"Fine," I lied, "is everything okay?"

Erza smiled at me knowingly.

"Expecting Natsu?"

Her expression was causing heat to rise up my face, so I turned away from her, hiding my face as I locked my apartment door.

"Yes, I mean, he usually walks with me to school. Is he okay?"

"He's working," Erza said, "Happy dropped him up to Fairy Hill's library early this morning. He said he had a history essay due, so asked me if I could walk you to school."

I turned back to her, determinately keeping my face straight as she smirked at me.

"Oh, well, thanks for keeping me company."

Erza gave me an answering nod then started walking, assuming I'd fall into step beside her.

When I did, her coy expression turned a little more serious.

"You sure you're feeling okay?" She asked. "Levy tells me you had some kind of magical supernova yesterday."

"Yeah," I said slowly, "I got too emotional and accidentally used up most of my magic. Rogue says my magic is more unstable than the other dragon slayers."

Erza gave me a reassuring smile,

"I wouldn't worry about it. Your magic can't be more unstable than Laxus' lightening."

The mention of Laxus reminded me of something.

"Erza," I said slowly, "at the magic council, there were only eight dragons on the mural. If Laxus is a dragon slayer, why wasn't his Dad on there?"

Erza's face went suddenly flat and she didn't speak for a moment.

She looked at the ground as she walked, clearly thinking about what to say, and then looked up at me caluclatingly, like she was trying to decide whether or not to tell me something.

Thankfully, I seemed to pass the test, because she scanned our surroundings and lowered her voice,

"Laxus' Father wasn't a dragon. Laxus is only called a dragon slayer so the council can explain his level of power."

"But being powerful is what makes a dragon slayer special, right?"

"They're powerful because they have large magical cores which can be refilled by eating. Laxus can do that because his Father experimented on him, not because his Father was a dragon."

I stared at her,

"Experimented? What, like..." I didn't want to say dissection. Erza didn't seem to either.

"Before the war, his Father was secretly working for Acnologia." She explained. "He was experimenting on kids, trying to create a kind of super powered magical army. He used other children as trail and error subjects, then used what he learned on his son. Laxus has eight lacrima surgically implanted inside him. They're what enable him to eat raw energy, or lightening, and it's the lacrima that give him extra power reserves on top of his normal magic core. It gives him power equal to that of a dragon slayer."

Erza clenched her jaw, rubbing one of her eyes as if she was tired. Was she on the verge of crying?

"But Makarov, he's Laxus' Grandfather." I said. "Why didn't he put a stop to it?"

Erza sighed,

"He tried, but there was a lot of kids abducted before the war. I don't think Master Makarov has forgiven himself for not saving his grandson. You wouldn't know it, but Laxus used to be very kind and gentle. His attitude is mostly thanks to the lacrima. They make his magic and mental state a little unstable."

Erza seeming to fall into silent thought, frowning to herself.

I couldn't bring myself to ask any more questions, and we walked the rest of the way in silence.

* * *

Erza left me at the gates, and I hurried off the library to find Natsu.

When I got to the library, I found the door blocked by a group of Natsu's fan club, and none of them looked very happy to see me.

As I got closer, the looks they started shooting me told me I wasn't going to be able to pass. Though I didn't expect them to move, I stopped in front of them, saying,

"Excuse me."

Sure enough, the only movement they made was to turn and look at me.

The president of the fan club crossed her arms, looking like she'd just caught me red handed.

"So," she said triumphantly, "had a lovers spat have you?"

"Lover's spat?" I repeated.

"Oh please, everyone saw you holding hands last Friday."

She jabbed her thumb at the windows in the wall of the corridor, the panes of glass showing the study area in the library. "We were just in there. We _saw_ him look up, see you coming, and run out the back entrance. Looks like he's avoiding you...so have you broken up already?"

The entire fan club stared at me, some looking angry, others hopeful.

"We were never dating," I said, my stomach squirming a little, "we're just soul mates. That's it."

"But you like him, don't you?!" One of the girls snapped. "Half the school heard Loke call him your 'lover boy'!"

Rolling my eyes, and making a mental note to kick Loke's ass later, I said flatly,

"You're not going to believe me whatever I say. If Loke's got the facts, go bother him."

I tried to nudge my way between them but a few of the girls pushed me back.

It wasn't worth a second try. I could see Natsu at break, fighting a hoard of angry fan girls was more trouble than it was worth.

Hoping Loke would resist the urge to self-summon, so they couldn't grill him on 'NaLu', I turned and walked back the way I'd come.

While I headed towards my first class I found I was getting a lot of sideways glances from students in the hallways. A lot of them were gathered in groups, not troubling to keep their blunt discussions about mine and Natsu's relationship quiet. Judging by the nicknames they were giving me, I guessed they were trying to antogonise me so I'd get angry and yell the true story at them.

I texted Natsu as I sat down in my seat, wanting to meet him somewhere away from prying eyes and ears. Maybe he knew something Erza didn't about Laxus? Or maybe he didn't know at all?

Either way, I expected him to text back pretty quick, but my phone didn't buzz all lesson. When I walked between classes I checked it, thinking I might not have felt it virbate in my pocket. But my phone screen was a blank. Maybe he'd forgotten his phone today?

At break I headed for his classroom. When I got there, the classroom door was open, and I saw Juvia and Gray inside, but no sign of Natsu.

Maybe he went to the bathroom?

Tired as I was, I used a little of the magic I had to try and sense him, just to check he was at school. My slayer senses wouldn't stretch very far, but thankfully they picked up on him in the boys bathroom at the end of the hall.

Instead of waiting in his classroom, I walked up the corridor and waited outside the toilets for him to come out. I waited the entire break.

Just before the bell rang I knocked on the door, asking if Natsu was alright. I heard a grunt of confirmation, and for a second debated whether to go inside. What was wrong with him? If something was magically wrong I'd feel it wouldn't I? Natsu said his soul mark went all icy when Sting gave me that potion. Maybe he was just ill?

The bell rang and I jumped, hesitating a second, then running back to my classroom.

When the bell rang for lunch I practically ran to the cafeteria, but after buying my lunch I felt my heart sink as I turned to the table Fairy Tail usually sat at. He wasn't there.

Now really worried, when I sat down I asked Erza if she thought he was okay. When Gray interjected, saying that they hadn't fought all morning, she did seem a little unsure. Gajeel volunteered to help me look for him, saying that he didn't mind beating the truth out of him, and he could make full use of his slayer senses since I was running on empty.

Before Gajeel tried to find him magically, he suggested checking the track field, but I didn't really expect Natsu to be out there with the team. After that, Gajeel tracked him to another set of boys toilets, and I waited outside while Gajeel went in.

After hearing a crash from inside, I expected them to come out fighting each other, but Gajeel came out alone, his eyebrows raised in an expression I'd never seen before.

He didn't look pissed off, he genuinely looked gob-smacked.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Punk said if I try and drag him out, he'd tell Levy I'm her soul mate."

I stared at Gajeel.

Natsu knew that Levy was aware Gajeel was her soul mate. That meant he was using Gajeel's ignorance to stay in the bathroom.

I took a step forwards, intending to drag Natsu out the bathroom myself, but Gajeel threw out an arm,

"Leave him Bunny Girl, he's seriously pissed. Better to beat it him up at the Guild."

"I don't want to beat him up," I said forcefully, "I want to know if I can help!"

Gajeel shifted his weight between his feet,

"Well...if you gotta help someone, could ya help me out?"

"What d'you need help with?"

Gajeel jerked his head along the corridor,

"Somewhere else. I don't want Salamander overhearing too easily. He'll never let me live it down."

I raised my eyebrows but didn't back away from the bathroom. Gajeel obviously needed help with something serious, but I knew Natsu defaintely needed more help. Gajeel asking for help was one thing, Natsu being quiet was another. I didn't like the thought of leaving him in a bathroom to stew in his thoughts.

Gajeel seemed to sense my reluctance, because he sighed,

"I'll make sure you can find him this evening, don't worry. I just wanna talk, out of ear shot of the guild."

I frowned, still not feeling comfortable with leaving Natsu, but nodded. At this point, I was starting to this his Fanclub was right. Natsu was avoiding me. Maybe giving him some space would help.

I walked with Gajeel back down the corridor, and he led me outside, back towards the track field.

It being so close to Christmas, it was freezing, but this guaranteed us privacy as Gajeel walked over to an empty picnic bench. There was no one around except for runners circling the track 20ft away.

"So," I said, sitting down on one of the benches, "what did you need help with?"

Gajeel sat down, not looking at me, apparently embarrassed.

"You and Shrimp are best friends." He stated. "I...I dunno, I was wondering...what does she like?"

Gajeel looked like a puppy trying really hard to be scary. I tried not to laugh.

"You're her soul mate. What d'ya think she likes?"

Gajeel shrugged.

"I know she likes books an' stuff Bunny girl, I meant...has she said what she likes about me?"

I grinned at Gajeel finding it half funny, half adorable as Gajeel scowled at his lap. He was clearly furious about opening up like this.

"Are you asking me because you want to ask her out? Cause she'd say yes."

Gajeel looked up at me sharply, as if daring me to say I was joking.

I smiled encouragingly (not easy to do under Gajeel's death glare) and my sincerity made him look back down at his lap. He frowned heavily, clearly thinking about his words carefully.

"I can't ask her out," he said stiffly, "not yet."

"Why?" I asked.

"It doesn't matter," Gajeel said looking up again, "but I really like her. And I want her to know that before Christmas. Cause I won't see her for a while."

I smiled at Gajeel,

"She'll still like you after the holidays."

Gajeel scowled,

"I want her to know I feel the same though. I just can't tell her outright."

"Why? I know she likes—"

"—Bunny girl, trust me on this. I have my reasons."

Gajeel glared at me, resolute and determined.

"...Well. I guess you could do a few things that might clue her in...I take it you don't want me to tell her?"

Gajeel shook his head.

I fell silent for a second, trying to think of options,

"Oh! You could take her on a date to the festival this weekend? Anyone can go, right? There's an even number of people from Fairy Tail going, so if we all pair up, you guys can walk around together. Kind of like a date without being a date. You could get her some of that cake Natsu says is super good, and I bet if you do some reading into her research, she'd love to talk with you about it?"

Gajeel nodded, clearly thinking this over,

"S'pose...couldn't give me a reading list could ya?"

* * *

After writing down a list of books Gajeel could find in Fairy Tail's library, he left, but I stayed sat on the bench until the end of lunch.

Out here, I felt less tired and achy. I guess cause I was absorbing sunlight. By the time I went back inside for afternoon lessons, the warm magic in my chest felt a little fuller. By the end of the day, I felt a lot better, and the ache in my chest had mostly gone as I arrived at the Guildhall.

Inside I found Gajeel sat at the bar. He waved me over, letting me know that Natsu had hidden himself in his bedroom downstairs.

There was no doubt about it. He was avoiding me.

With this in mind, I wondered if it might be better to ask Gray to find out what was wrong with him. After all, they were best friends, and maybe the mortal enemies thing would make Natsu snap and blurt out what was bothering him.

Having known Gray a few months though, I knew the ice wizard wasn't going to jump at the chance for a heart to heart. Instead of asking him directly, I asked Juvia, which was safer option due to her slightly jealous tendencies. Plus, Gray was more likely to do it if his girlfriend asked him.

After talking with Juvia I went upstairs to change, quickly getting to work in the kitchens.

I'd been working for maybe an hour before Gray poked his head inside the kitchen.

He didn't bear good news. In fact, he barely bore any news at all.

He advised me to just give Natsu some space this week, assuring me that it was the best thing I could do.

I thanked him and he left, Lisanna looking over at me sadly as I fell back against the sink in defeat.

She came over to give me a hug and we talked it over a while. In the end, she convinced me waiting a week to see him couldn't do him too much harm.

I was still worried, particularly about Natsu's tendency to blame himself for things out of his control, but resolved that if he didn't perk up by the end of the week, I'd go downstairs and talk it out with him. Even if that meant knocking his bedroom door off its hinges.

So, I spent the rest of the week trying to ignore the NaLu rumours spreading around Fairy Hills.

I took a few different routes to class than usual, partly to avoid Natsu and partly to avoid his fanclub, who thought Natsu's quiet mood was my fault.

I didn't want Natsu missing lunch cause I was in the cafeteria, so I took a pack lunch in for the rest of the week, tagging along with Lisanna to her clubs.

Her sewing and embroidery club went fine. I'd been tutored in embroidery thanks to my Father.

The cooking club however, was a complete disaster.

I tried my best not to get involved with the baking, offering to clean up and put ingredients away. But after spilling half a bag of flour down my front, then dropping three eggs, and a bag of icing sugar on the floor, I decided to sit back while Lisanna worked.

She tried to hide it, but I knew she'd used a little bit of magic to make sure the cake came out cake shaped. I don't think it had the right amount of ingredients since I'd dropped them on the floor.

It was more difficult than I'd like to admit spending the whole week without seeing Natsu.

I kept reminding myself that this was nothing to how I'd feel over Christmas, not being able to see him for two whole weeks, but it didn't make me feel any better.

By Friday, with the school buzzing about the festival the next day, Natsu still wasn't talking to me.

I was half relieved when I entered the guild, my heart lurching as I saw Natsu sat at the bar. He was talking to Mira but whipped around as I reached soul mate slayer hearing range.

He looked at me for a second like a rabbit caught in headlights, flashed a smile, then hopped off his bar stool, striding quickly towards the dorm rooms.

I stopped at the bar, taking my school bag off my shoulder, and putting it down in the seat Natsu had just vacated.

I looked up at Mira, about to ask if she'd give me a few minutes to talk to him, but before I could open my mouth Mira said,

"Go on."

She smiled at me knowingly and I thanked her, running after Natsu and shouldering my way through the door to the stairs.

I raced down the steps, barging through the door to the boys dorms, thankful that no one was in the corridor as I strode to the very end. I stopped outside Natsu's door, knocking heavily three times.

There was no answer.

"Natsu?!" I called. "I know you're in there!"

No answer.

"Why are you avoiding me?! Will you please open up and tell me what's wrong!"

Nothing.

"I'll summon Loke in there!"

Still nothing.

"Y'know what? Maybe I'll summon him out here, get him to break the door down. Bet he could do it even if you wedged it shut...I mean, he _is_ so much stronger than you!"

I heard angry stomping on the other side of the door and the lock clicked. The handle turned and the door was wrenched open, revealing Natsu standing there, his expression neither angry nor pleased.

"What d'you want?" He asked blankly.

"I want you to tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong," he said, trying to close the door.

I held out a hand to keep him from closing it,

"You've been avoiding me the entire week! You haven't been upstairs, or at my apartment for help with homework, and I haven't seen you fight once with Gray! So what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, I'm fine. Now will you leave me alone?"

"No! You're bound to run away from me after the festival and I'm going home the next day, so I won't see you until after the holidays. We're gonna sort this out now."

Natsu didn't seem to want to make eye contact with me, staring hard at his door as he said,

"I just realised something important."

"What's that?"

Natsu scowled, still talking to his bedroom door,

"Being my soul mate doesn't entitle you to knowing every single thing about me y'know."

I stared at him, anger swallowing the pain in my gut. This wasn't like Natsu at all.

"What the hell's happened to you?"

Natsu sighed, still not looking at me,

"Will you just go away?"

"No!"

Angry tears began filling my eyes, and I tried to push them back as Natsu finally looked at me. His green eyes flicked between my brown ones, and I saw his brow crease sadly.

"This is why I want you to go away," he said quietly, "all I ever do is make you hurt."

"Don't be so stupid!" I snapped.

Natsu turned away from me, no longer trying to close the door, and walking back into his room.

"I'm not being stupid. It's just something I've been trying to ignore. But when you had that supernova attack, it just hit me again. I always hurt all the people I care about."

I walked into his room, closing the door behind me,

"You do not always hurt the people you care about!" I strode towards him, wanting to be closer after spending a week apart.

Natsu had his back to me, and I stood behind him, wanting to hug him but thinking that might make him angry.

"How can you think that?" I asked quietly.

Natsu turned around, his voice cold and sad.

"How can I think that? Well, let's see. I killed my Mother just by existing. I killed yours cause I got myself cornered in an alley way. I almost got you killed at that lantern festival, and almost killed you myself in that dungeon - first because of this stupid demon inside me and second because I was eating all your magic. You almost drained yourself of magic yesterday just remembering it."

I stared at him,

"You didn't do any of that intentionally, none of it was in your control!?"

Natsu shrugged,

"Well, I'm _intentionally_ taking control so it doesn't happening again."

Natsu made to turn away from me but I grabbed his arm,

"You can't do that by avoiding me for the rest of your life."

Natsu raised his eyebrows,

"It's worked this week, hasn't it?"

I let go of him, aware my voice was rising but too angry to care.

"And you think I wouldn't feel hurt at all if you stayed away from me forever."

Natsu looked at me sadly,

"I don't want to do it. But I can't be the reason you die Lucy. I can't let another person..."

Natsu trailed off, clearly determined to cut himself off, but where his fire had faded it felt like mine had just sparked to life. My chest felt hot, and for the first time I felt why Natsu said he had a fire in his bell.

"You really think you're the most dangerous thing in my life?!" I yelled. "You do remember that every dark guild out there will do anything to set Acnologia free, don't you?!"

"Exactly! And if they can't do that by killing you, then they'll attack the people you're closest to! They'll attack me cause I'm your soul mate, so it's better we're not close! Then you won't get hurt if anything happens."

"I'll be a lot more hurt if you keep this up! Contrary to what you seem to think, you do make me feel happy Natsu."

"Really?" He shot back, seemingly angry himself now."Because ever since I got your magic inside me I've been thinking differently. It doesn't just keep that demon at bay Lucy, whenever you feel something strongly I get a glimpse of your emotions. Whenever I'm around, you keep getting these surges of anxiety! I know I'm the one causing it!"

"I'm not anxious that you'll hurt me you idiot!"

I felt hot with anger as Natsu gestured at my face,

"You're crying right now!"

"I'm crying because you're being stupid and I miss you!" I yelled, my heart lurching as I pushed against his chest furiously.

I expected Natsu to stumble, take a step back even, but it was as if I'd kicked him in the chest.

He was thrown across the room, thankfully landing on his bed, and I looked down at my hands, surprise seeping through my anger.

I was still wearing my school blazer, but golden light seemed to be trying to shine through the material. Glittering scales covering the back of my hands, but they weren't shining as blindly bright as usual. The heat I'd felt wasn't from anger, it was my dragon force, but it wasn't making me burnthrough magic like usual. Anger and determination to make Natsu see sense, seemed to be keeping me stable.

Natsu got up off his bed, standing in front of me again, watching me like he was worried I was going to have another supernova.

Taking advantage of his silence, I advanced on him, glaring up into his face,

"Listen here Dragneel. I am the celestial dragon slayer and sole are to the Heartfelia fortune. I've been kidnapped, tied up, beaten up, and been close to death a few times, but that's not because of you! Why d'you think I was homeschooled?! I'm always in danger of getting hurt! When I was a kid, I was in danger of being kidnapped for ransom, now I'm in danger of being kidnapped for the keys to Acnologia's cage. Criminals, dark wizards, the coffee table that I keep tripping over at home - accident or not, hurting me doesn't make you special Natsu! The only thing that makes you different is that, despite any releation to dark magic, I love you!"

Natsu looked a little dumbstruck, and as I stood there breathing heavily, my brain caught up with what I'd just yelled.

I was half glad I was in dragon force, the glitter might hide the blush creeping up my neck.

Natsu didn't look worried about me going supernova anymore. He was wearing a very un-natsu like expression. It made him look older. He looked like he was deciding whether to do something.

After a few seconds, he stepped forwards, pulling me into his chest in a hug. I felt his fingers slipping into my hair, his other arm wrapped around me tightly.

I hugged him back, trying to keep my voice stern despite speaking into his shoulder,

"I don't care how emotional dragon slayers are, I won't let you think me getting hurt is your fault. So will you stop avoiding me?"

Natsu let out a grunt of confirmation and hugged me tighter.

"You can stop being all glittery now," He muttered into my hair.

I let out a sigh, smiling to myself as I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself out of dragon force.

I managed it, but it didn't really feel like I did anything. It felt more like Natsu's hug was squeezing my magic back into the core in my chest. The warmth of the glittering scales slowly receeded, and I felt a sort of relief sink in my chest, telling me I'd managed to come out of it.

"So," Natsu said into my hair, "you love me huh?"

My stomach gave a small flip, and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

"Well yeah," I said nervously, "we're soul besties, right?"

Natsu chuckled,

"Yeah. I love you too Luce."

Natsu drew back a little, and I looked up, surprised as Natsu pressed his lips against my forehead.

It was brief, and he pulled me back into the hug quickly, the place where his lips had touched tingling slightly.

Despite the warmth of his body, I shivered a little. My heart began to sink as thoughts started flying through my mind.

I got the horrible feeling I just been friendzoned.

* * *

Natsu walked with me up the stairs but we parted a floor below the pub, Natsu going to play some videogames while I went upstairs to work.

When I walked out onto the pub floor I saw Gajeel talking to Mira at the bar. There was a book in front of him that looked like one of the ones I'd recommended.

Mira waved as I walked over, and as I took a seat next to Gajeel she asked,

"Is Natsu okay?"

"Yeah," I said, "he's just got a problem with blaming himself for everything."

Mira looked at me calculatingly,

"Are you okay?"

I shrugged, lowering my voice a little,

"I think I've just been friendzoned."

Mira laughed,

"I doubt that."

I raised my eyebrows at her, but Mira grinned, saying to Gajeel,

"Go on, show her."

Gajeel withdrew his phone from his blazer, unlocking it, and scrolling through texts. He clicked on a conversation with Erza, the last message of which was a video.

As he pressed play and it went full screen, I leaned over to get a better view.

It was a recording of one of the corridors at school, clearly during a break time because the corridor was fairly full of students. I had a feeling one of Natsu's fanclub was recording the video, because the angle showed them to be much smaller than Gajeel, and I recognised a few of the surrounding voices.

A hush was falling over the crowd, which had parted to show Natsu, his back to the camera as he faced a well known Fairy Hills senior.

"You're not going to date her," Natsu said flatly.

The senior smirked,

"But you're not interested."

"So what?"

" _So_ , why can't I ask her out? If you're not interested, and I'm doing the polite thing asking her soul mate first, why can't I ask her out?"

Natsu shouldered past the senior,

"You're not her type."

The senior turned around with a cocky grin,

"I think I'll let her decide that. After all, unlike her soul mate, I'm top of my year."

Natsu turned around coldly,

"And you think she'll go for a stuck up nerd, do you?"

"Well, she's got to have a reason for not dating her soul mate. I reckon it's cause she's got standards. She probably only dates intelligent people."

I saw Natsu clench and unclench his fists. He was clearly trying to resist the urge to light his hands on fire.

"Listen pal, I know what Lucy likes, so back off."

The senior let out a laugh

"Aww, do I detect jealousy? Did Dragneel get rejected by his soulmate? Maybe you're scared to find out what she might do for someone she really likes?"

Natsu lost it, and though he kept his fists free of fire he tackled the senior to the ground. I saw Gray and Gajeel dart out from the crowd, pulling him off the senior before the guy got worse than a bloody nose.

The senior got up, laughing as Gray and Gajeel held Natsu back.

"Don't worry Dragneel, I'll text you some pics."

Natsu's fists now caught on fire, and he wrestled his way out of the boys' grip just as Erza stepped between him and blood nose.

She tripped Natsu as he tried to run past her, pinning him to the ground with an arm twisted behind his back. Looking up at the senior she snapped,

"Gray, get him out of here. Gajeel, help me."

Gray ran forwards, grabbing the senior by the scruff of his blazer, and dragging him back along the corridor.

Gajeel took over from Erza, who got up and looked around cautiously.

She seemed to find what she was looking for, as her eyes looked right into the phone's camera.

Whoever was recording lowered the phone, but I could hear Erza storming towards them. The video wobbled as Erza snatched the phone from the girl's grip, and there was a split second image of Erza's furious face before the recording was stopped.

Gajeel tapped out of the video and tucked his phone back into his blazer.

"Erza texted that video to herself then deleted it off the girl's phone," he said gruffly, "she said it was a violation of magical law. I got her to send it to me, cause I said I wanted to show it to Salamander - show him how bad it looked loosing control."

"Did you show it to him?" Gajeel stared at me,

"So he can loose it all over again? Nah, I got this for you. Thought you ought to know how Salamander feels, even if he's too stupid to tell ya."

I frowned skeptically at him.

"All that video shows is Natsu doesn't want me to date a doushe. Anyone would get mad after what that senior said."

Gajeel shrugged,

"I ain't buying it, but if that's want you wanna think bunny girl, you go ahead."

* * *

I woke up later than usual Saturday morning.

Mira had given me the day off work, and as I didn't belong to any clubs, I didn't have to be at the festival early to help with preparations.

It was freezing outside, but at least it meant the large coat I wore would hide my whip and keys on my belt.

As Natsu had suggested last weekend, I made sure to take a lot of Jewel before I set off for Fairy Hills.

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when the school gates came into view, but it certainly looked a lot different from all my other school festival experiences.

Inside the courtyard, stallss lined a path that wound around the school, probably leading towards the track field. Walking through the gates I was hit by a wall of wonderful smells, something fresh being cooked nearby. There were stallss for hot food, hand made jewlery, fair ground games, and sweets.

Lisanna's stalls was easy to spot, right in the middle and almost entirely obscured by a large crowd. Natsu was right about the cake stand being popular.

I just about caught a glimpse of Lisanna behind her stall, and she waved at me briefly in between taking payments.

I couldn't see any of the others, but assumed they'd all be on the track field.

Erza would be with the fencing team, watching over friendly wooden sword fights; Gray and Juvia were manning a kind of ice ring, which I'm sure was entirely magical if it was held in the swimming pool; and Natsu of course was with the track team.

I bypassed Lisanna's cake stall, thinking I'd go there later when it was less busy, and headed towards the track field.

I heard Natsu before I saw him, running through the crowd towards me and yelling my name.

He was wearing his school tracksuit, his white scarf wrapped around his neck as he stopped in front of me, drawing me into a brief hug,

"You made it."

I drew back from the hug smiling,

"Course I made it. I also brought money, as requested."

Natsu grimaced,

"Great. I think I'm gonna end up running around the track naked."

"Taking a leaf out of Gray's book huh?"

Natsu rolled his eyes,

"People get to bid on what each person in the team wears when the run round. Highest bid wins, and I know there's some speedos in the costume trunk our captain brought."

I smirked,

"Selling your body for charity. How noble." Natsu frowned, his shoulders sinking,

"Could you bid on something for me to wear?" I grinned, trying to sound casual,

"Why should I?"

Natsu looked around, seeming to pluck an idea from the air,

"Aw come on, being practically naked is Gray's thing! Take that away and what's he got? I can't do that to him!"

I smirked up at Natsu,

"Fine, say I do pay for your clothes. What'll you give me in return?"

Natsu crossed his arms,

"Isn't protecting your soul mate's privacy enough? I thought you loved me!"

I felt my stomach turn over as several people around us stopped walking.

"Fine I'll pay," I said quickly, wanting to limit the rumours, "I just thought you'd jump at the chance to outshine Gray."

Natsu scowled,

"Not when the price is being groped by screaming girls. I have some sense of dignity Luce."

Someone tapped Natsu on the shoulder. Judging by his sports clothes I guessed he was also part of the track team.

Natsu turned briefly back to me, grinning,

"I gotta go, but don't forget to pay up!"

I smiled, waving as he turned and followed his team mate back through the crowd.

I walked on lazily, very aware of other students staring at me. Though, I suppose a week of not talking to each other, Natsu and I suddenly being friendly again might look a little wierd.

I thought about going to find Gajeel and Levy, but I didn't want to interrupt their 'not-date'.

If I thought I stood a chance of spy on them, to check how it was going, I might risk it but Gajeel's hearing would pick up on me from a mile off. I didn't want to put him off.

As I reached the edge of the field however I stopped, thinking it couldn't hurt to use my own slayer hearing. I closed my eyes.

Spreading out my golden sphere, I willed the sound of Gajeel's voice to come back to me. A few seconds, and it was if Gajeel was speaking in my ear. What I heard made me stiffen in shock.

"Don't worry. Salamander is head over heels for the celestial whore. She gets all puppy eyed whenever he's around, so if all goes as planned, we'll have em wrapped around our finger."

What the hell was he talking about?

I switched from sound to location, my golden sphere of magic bleeping confidently, showing that he wasn't far away. When I opened my eyes, I thought it might be around the trees lining the edge of the track field. I set off at a run.

About halfway across the field, Gajeel came out from behind a tree, a piece of paper floating in the air beside him, slipping into his pocket unnaturally.

He raised a hand as he saw me and I stopped dead.

I was confident in my magic, sure, but a part of me wanted to stay nearer the crowd after what I'd just heard.

When he reached me he seemed to notice something was off, asking,

"Everything alright Bunny Girl?"

"What was that paper?" I asked, feeling on edge as he pulled an innocent expression.

"Paper?"

"The paper that was floating in the air beside you," I clarified.

Gajeel smirked at me,

"Think you're seeing things Bunny Girl. Hey, while you're here, can you help me pick out one of Lisanna's cakes for Levy? I wanna get her favourite."

I stared at him. He stared back.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing," I said after a second, trying to force a smile, "don't worry."

Gajeel nodded, clearly unconvinced, but didn't question me any further as we walked back towards the cake stall.

We walked into the crowd, weaving in and out of school mates and townsfolk. Just before we reached the cake stall someone forced their way past me, colliding with my shoulder so forcefully I almost fell over.

"Hey," I said, rubbing my shoulder as I turned around. But the crowd was so full of people, I couldn't spot the culprit amoung so many heads of people.

"Bastard," Gajeel muttered, "you okay?"

"Yeah," I said, "fine, sorry."

We carried on.

I checked my bag briefly, wondering if I'd been pick pocketed, but my phone and purse were still there. I did however find a crumpled piece of paper that shouldn't be there.

I pulled it out. It didn't look like a magical trap, and as I opened it up I saw handwriting that wasn't mine on its surface. The writing was so untidy it was difficult to read, but I think it said,

_You can trust him, he's on our side. It's all part of a plan._   
_They're listening, just act normal._   
_L_

I crumpled up the paper quickly, stowing it back in my bag and trying to act normally.

At the cake stall I pointed out the cake I thought Levy would like best, and Gajeel took it with him as he went to find Levy.

Half of me wanted to follow him. After what I'd just heard, despite knowing him for a few months now, I couldn't say I wasn't worried. But that note had said someone was listening.

I knew lots of people whose name began with L, but I didn't recognise the handwriting.

I was jolted out of my thoughts by someone calling my name. Turning around, I saw Yukino, Sting and Rogue walking towards me, Yukino waving in greeting.

When I reached them, they said they'd been at the festival for a while, and they were wondering if they could see the school.

I offered to give them a tour but warned them Fairy Hills wouldn't be that interesting. All three of them shouted me down. Apparently, they'd never gotten to go to school.

"Never?" I asked. "Even before the war?"

Yukino shrugged,

"Well, I went to school before the Tower of Heaven...but Sting and Rogue," she looked up at the boys, almost a little nervous.

Sting smiled at her reassuringly and looped his arm around her waist,

"Let's get inside shall we, this story isn't really one for the crowd."

I nodded curiously, leading the way towards the main building.

Inside, I led them slowly down empty corridors, noticing both dragon slayers were very tense. Still, Sting explained the whole thing in a pretty casual tone of voice.

"Rogue and I got kidnapped a long while before the final battle. After the war, Sabertooth picked us up before the council could, so we never went to High School."

"Who would kidnap a dragon slayer with the dragons still around?" I asked.

"I'll give you three guesses," Sting said darkly.

It didn't take me more than one.

"How powerful was Acnologia?" I asked.

"I dunno." Sting said. "The only time I saw him was when he dragged Rogue and I into the back of a van. We spent most of our time in the experimentation tower."

I looked between the two dragon slayers, wanting to ask more questions, but not wanting to bring up awful memories.

"I'm sorry," I said.

Sting chuckled darkly,

"Don't worry. No one who got out remembers much of it. They only know they're not the same as when they went in. S'pose that's why they called themselves the Tower of Heaven. Blissful ignorance until you realise what they've done to you."

Sting smiled flatly,

"I used to have brown eyes y'know. Rogue used to have green."

I looked between the two dragon slayers. Rogue's eyes were red. Sting's a sky blue.

Rogue grimaced, his voice heavy as he pointed to his eyes,

"They're highly polished Lacrima. Expect they did it cause our magic is about darkness and light."

"I thought we'd never see again," Sting said, chuckling darkly, "but a few days after the procedure, with some encouragement, our sight came back fine."

"How long were you there?" I asked.

"A few years." Sting said, "Long enough to meet—" but Rogue elbowed him and Sting corrected himself, "—to meet a few kids in the same kind of situation."

I thought back to what I'd heard in the infirmary.

"Did you meet Cobra there?" I asked.

"Can we move onto the tour?" Rogue said quickly. "I'd rather not reminisce that much about the past."

I nodded quickly,

"Yeah, sure, sorry."

Sting waved my apology aside with a hand, looking a little more excited,

"Can we see the science block first? Natsu said they had a load of Magnesium in the Chemistry block. Apparently, if you set it on fire, it lets off this really bright light. I wanna know what it tastes like."

I laughed as he rubbed his hands together, feeling kind of bad as I destroyed his hopes and dreams.

"First rule of school," I said, "everything fun or expensive is locked up tight and barely ever used."

"So we'll break in!" Sting said, grinning as Yukino gently punched him, scowling in disapproval.

* * *

I rushed to show the three of them around the school, wanting to get back to the track field in time to sponsor Natsu with some clothes to run in.

As much as I wanted to see Natsu without a shirt, I couldn't stand the thought of his fan club swarming him afterwards.

When I got to the track team's stall on the field, I found his fan club had banded together and payed 100 Jewel for Natsu to run around the track in a pair of speedos.

With two minutes till his race, I riffled through the costume crate, pulling out the biggest piece of clothing I could find, and handing it over along with 110 Jewel, everything I had saved up after this months rent.

Leaving the costume stand with Yukino, Sting, and Rogue, we heading over to the stands to watch the race.

Levy, Gajeel, Lisanna, and Erza were sat in the top row, and we climbed up to join them, sitting down as someone with a megaphone started announcing the start of the race.

The runners came out of the back of the costume stand, apparently having changed inside, and none of them looked all that happy.

Half of the team were so skimpily clad they were visibly shivering in the cold air. The other half was wearing so many clothes I wondered if they'd be able to run at all.

Natsu easily had the biggest costume, though it wasn't what I'd expected when I'd handed the great hunk of material. The huge yellow jumpsuit wasn't a jumpsuit at all, but an inflatable costume. Natsu was inside a blown up Pikachu, so big he was practically spherical, taking up one and a half lanes.

They all lined up, Natsu having to waddle into position. When the whistle blew, Natsu had clearly tried to head off in a sprint, but the Pikachu costume tripped him up, and he went rolling across the track like a giant beach ball.

When he'd rolled to standstill, he struggled to get back on his feet. One of this team mates, now on his second lap, had to stop and help him up.

Once back on his feet Natsu tried to set off at a run, but again he tripped, falling head over heels and rolling along the track again.

Laughter rang out across the field and judging by the smoke coming from the suit, Natsu was starting to loose patience.

Next second, he was wriggling out of the Pikachu suit, apparently so irritated he preferred to run in speedos.

There were screams from the stands as his fan club got out their cameras. His scarf covered more of his skin than the swimming trunks.

Several times I feigned hiding my face, not wanting to look like I was staring, but crush or not, it was kind of hard not to watch. It's not every day you see a dude with pink hair sprinting along in nothing but a pair of speedos and a scarf, cackling as his trainers left smoke trails behind him.

On his final lap, Natsu picked up the Pikachu suit, running with it, and putting it on just before the finish line.

When the whistle blew and the race was over, the stands immediately emptied out onto the field. Most of the runners went to change into normal clothes. Even the winner, a freshman clad in a maid's dress, left his feather duster on the frosty ground, rushing back to the tent before anyone could snap anymore pictures.

As we waited outside the tent for Natsu, Levy poked me in the shoulder, winking at me pointedly,

"Pretty different from the Academy's dress code, right?"

I laughed a little nervously.

I was pretty sure she'd seen me staring at Natsu, especially when he'd been running with his back to the stands. I was equally sure she would never let me live it down.

Natsu's exit from the tent was signaled by a few squeals from the girls behind us, but Natsu barely noticed them as he stormed over to me.

Using his height to his advantage, he loomed over me,

"When I said outbid them, I meant with a normal costume Luigi!"

"I gave you another costume! What are you complaining about?"

"That wasn't a costume! That was a balloon!"

I shrugged, unable to repress a smile,

"I gave you another option, but apparently you'd rather show your ass to the whole school."

Natsu squinted at me,

"You are _lucky_ I have a nice ass!"

I blanched,

"If you were so sure of your ass, why ask for another costume?"

Natsu glared at me, apparently unsure how to respond.

Wanting to move on from how lucky I was to 'have' his ass, I said,

"So...we gonna go and tell Gray how he's got competition for the title of school stripper?"

Natsu grabbed my arm, scowling as he pulled me back towards the school,

"No, we're not. And I ain't letting you out of my sight for the rest of this festival."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUN FACT:
> 
> When a star doesn't supernova (but just sort of slow dissipates into a black hole) astronomers call it a 'massive fail'.
> 
> Sorry for the late update - tis been a super crazy month.  
> Thanks so much to everyone who's commented :3  
> Hope to see you in the next chapter :D  
> M


	17. A Blog and A Bombshell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the summer long hiatus! I had exams then some personal stuff blew up in my face, but it's all good, all fine, and I am back baby! Hope you still enjoy where this is going ^_^

To save myself being dragged across the field I jogged a little to walk along side Natsu, who let go of my arm and linked our arms instead.

Much to my surprise, I realised we were heading for the cake stall. Lisanna had rushed back there instead of greeting Natsu after his race, and she was now busy serving more customers.

Natsu unlinked our arms at the table and Lisanna looked up, clearly taken aback to see Natsu.

Hoping to distract her I asked,

"What does the chef recommend?"

Lisanna opened her mouth to answer, but to both of our surprise Natsu got there first.

"They're all pretty good, but I reckon the chocolate cake's her best."

He gave Lisanna a small smile, and held up two fingers to indicate he wanted two pieces.

Lisanna didn't move immediately. She looked a little dumbstruck that he was both looking her in the eye and also smiling at her. It must be the first time in months they'd talked, if you could call ordering cake talking.

Clearly still nervous, she boxed up two pieces of chocolate cake and handed them over, taking the Jewel Natsu handed her, and saying quietly,

"Thanks."

"Back at cha," Natsu said, taking the cake box from her and walking away from the cake stool, apparently expecting me to follow.

I stayed only to make sure Lisanna was alright, but seeing her slight shrug and a small smile I gave her an awkward kind of wave then went after Natsu.

He was in the middle of the crowd, and handed me a slice of cake as I reached him.

"Well." I said, taking it as he chucked the empty box into a trash bin. "That was friendly."

Natsu shrugged, clearly trying to act careless as he took a large bite of cake.

"I'm not gonna pretend it's okay." He said, his face serious but his tone not to much. "Still, I know she feels bad about the lying. She'll always be in Fairy Tail, so I can't avoid her forever. Thought I should try to be nice."

"That's…very mature of you." I said.

"What's with the tone of surprise Luigi? I'm way more mature than you!"

I almost choked at his words, quickly swallowing my mouthful and saying,

"Oh I'm sorry, who's spent their entire life being taught how to act like a lady?!"

"I'd be an awesome lady!" Natsu said smugly. "If I can sprint in that Pikachu costume I can wear a stupid dress and speak like I've got a stick up my ass."

"I do not speak like I've got a stick up my ass!" Natsu laughed, imitating me in a ridiculously posh voice,

"I do not speak like I've got a stick up my ass!"

I shouldered into him, scowling,

"Where are we going anyway?"

"Ice ring," Natsu said, grinning, "can the lady skate? No— don't tell me, figure skating was a class at the academy."

I rolled my eyes,

"No, that was horse riding."

"Of course it was."

"Shut up."

"Or what? Gonna skate circles around me?"

"Yeah!" I lied, having never skated in my life. "What good is a fire mage on ice?"

"Pfft," Natsu smirked, "I'm good at whatever I do and you know it."

"Are not," I muttered, rolling my eyes.

"Are too."

"Are not."

"Are too!"

I rolled my eyes, refusing to argue like this all the way to the swimming pool, and letting him list off all the things he was good at while I finished my cake.

I drew the line at school work, having personally tutored him, but we were at the swimming pool before I could really make headway with the argument.

The school pool was usually hot, being indoors the water was thankfully heated. Today however the room was pleasantly cool, no doubt thanks to Gray who appeared to have frozen the pool into a solid block of water.

A fence had been erected around the swimming pool for less experienced skaters to hang on to, and we walked around it to the swimming teacher's office, which had been turned into a kind of ice skate store room. Juvia was standing in its doorway, chatting with Erza, Levy, Gray and Gajeel.

Whether soul enemies had a similar sixth sense as soul mates, being able to tell when the other was around, I didn't know, but Gray looked up a little ways before we got to them and yelled,

"Oy Natsu! What's this Levy tells me about you stripping for the whole school?!"

Natsu scowled,

"I didn't want to do it - someone went and picked a bad cover up."

"It was your choice not to wear it," I protested, scowling at Natsu.

"It's a race, Luce! I'd like to see you sprinting in a giant beach ball!"

Gray crossed his arms as we reached them, smirking at Natsu,

"Bet I could do it easily."

Natsu lunged for him but Erza pushed him back before he could get within reach.

"If you want to fight go to the fencing stall."

"Fine!" Natsu snapped, "I'll just beat him on the ice."

Gray crossed his arms,

"You think you can beat me at my own game?"

"Easily," Natsu said, looking meaningfully at Juvia, who disappeared to search for skates for the boys.

"No magic allowed," Erza warned them as they began shoving their feet into the skates.

Natsu huffed,

"Gray might need to cheat, but I don't need magic to win."

"Sure you don't," Gray muttered, lacing up his skates.

The two of them stalked off towards the gap in the fence around the pool and took off, both crouched low and skating around the edge of the ring as fast as possible.

"Hey, Bunny girl," Gajeel said, drawing my attention away from Natsu, "Juvia's got something to show you."

I looked over at Juvia but she was busy holding her phone up, apparently filming Gray and Natsu's race.

Gajeel poked her in the shoulder but she swatted him away.

"I've got it," Levy said, pulling out her phone and going onto the internet.

She typed in something I couldn't see, Juvia announcing,

"Some girls who hired out ice skates were talking about their blogs and Juvia heard them. Juvia told Levy, who searched it and found pictures of the track race. Gajeel suspects you'd like one of the related links."

"Related links?" I asked, my question answered as Levy handed me her phone.

"Juvia thinks you might not be a rival after all."

I didn't look up from Levy's phone.

It was a photo blog entitled 'NaLu Moments' and it was full of pictures of me and Natsu.

The latest one was of Natsu handing me a slice of cake. It was captioned Date?!

Beneath that one was a picture of Natsu looking glum, staring out the window in class. It was captioned he's soooo missing her :' It must've been taken the week we were fighting.

Someone had reposted Lisanna's picture of us in the baking club, and captioned it; wholesome LiLu 3

Beneath that it seemed were several pictures of our lunch table. Natsu and I were talking animatedly in the first, arguing in the second, then getting told off for being too noisy by Erza, and then one of me looking at Juvia talking in the fourth.

While I seemed totally engrossed in conversation, Natsu was reclining in his chair and smiling at me. He had a look of…well I'd say pride if it didn't sound so stupid. He looked like I'd just given him a present and was still trying to work out how I knew what he liked.

Below that picture was a similar one, where I was looking down the table at Erza and Natsu was leaning on his elbow, again smiling at me instead of whoever was talking.

Gajeel nudged me, grinning,

"Nice collection isn't it?"

I shrugged, unable to decide whether it was creepy or cute.

"It's a little invasive," I said, scrolling through more photos.

Levy rolled her eyes,

"Sure, it's a bit weird, but at least you'll have some pictures to stare at if you miss him over Christmas."

"Oh shut up Shrimp," I said, feeling heat wash up my face

Levy went red, and to my surprise Gajeel scowled,

"Oi, make your own nickname."

"Yeah," said Natsu, having crept up behind me and making me jump, "you're really not following Fairy Tail's tradition Luce."

Natsu looked over my shoulder and I quickly pressed the button on the side, turning the phone screen black.

"What you hiding?" Natsu asked, watching as I handed Levy back her phone.

"Nothing that'd interest you Dorkneel."

Natsu looked affronted.

"Dorkneel? That's worse than Luigi!" I snorted,

"Well I can't call you stripper, that's your nickname for Gray!"

"That was your fault!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was—" but I stopped mid sentence upon catching Erza's eye.

Turning away from Natsu I asked Levy,

"Wanna have a try at skating?"

Levy nodded eagerly, and Juvia and Gajeel agreed to go out with us.

When we got out on the ice I left Levy with Gajeel. I'd like to take credit and say I was helping them with their date, but it was very obvious Gajeel had never skated before and was more than a little hesitant to start now.

I stuck to the edge of the ice ring, grinning as I watched Levy take Gajeel's hands, slowly skating backwards as she showed him how to move.

"Having trouble Luigi?" Natsu asked, grinning as he skated past.

Ever the show off, Natsu swung around in a tight circle and glided back over to me.

"Thought you said you'd be skating circles round me?" He asked, shoving his hands in his pockets cockily.

I tried letting go of the fence but toppled over almost instantly. I was only saved from face planting by Natsu.

"Shut up," I muttered, scowling at him reproachfully.

Natsu let go of me, holding up his hands in surrender, and I almost overbalanced again, grasping the fence just in time to steady myself.

Natsu had barely a second of laughter before he miraculously toppled over backwards. I smirked at his sudden loss of balance, but it seemed he couldn't have helped it as Gray skated past with an arrogant grin,

"You could flirt a lot easier if you just helped her."

Natsu got up, a little flushed but he left me to chase after Gray.

He only succeeded in slipping over again, no doubt due to a little magical intervention, and got up in a huff, skating back to me.

"Having trouble Dorkneel?" I asked, trying to ignore the butterflies in my stomach as he took my hands off the fence and held them in his, scowling.

"I take it back, you're not allowed to give nicknames."

"But it suits you so well!"

Natsu gripped my hands, pushing me over a little, letting me totter just long enough to panic before catching me again.

"Wanna try that again?" He asked, grinning mischievously at me and swinging our hands so I wobbled a bit.

I teetered over sideways and while he let go of my hands, grabbing my shoulders, I snatched at his tracksuit top, pulling myself back upright.

I barely had time to realise we were close enough for a perfect blog picture before the ice beneath my feet seemed to shift. No doubt it had for Natsu too because he slipped over backwards, and my still holding on I was pulled down with him.

Natsu landed on his back on the ice but I thankfully landed on top of him. It wasn't exactly a soft landing, especially with all the core training he did, but it was softer than the ice.

"I'm gonna kill Gray," Natsu muttered.

* * *

After Erza ordered us all off the ice (Natsu having caused trouble while attempting to kill his arch nemesis), we decided to take a look at the other more active stalls. Jellal met us outside the swimming pool, pairing us all off nicely as we tried out activities set up by the fencing, wrestling, basketball, and boxing teams.

By mid-afternoon we decided to return to the guild.

Once there we settled down in the room full of couches and pulled out multiplayer video games. I slipped out only once, just to put Natsu and Happy's Christmas presents in their room.

Truth be told, I didn't have much money to spend outside of today and my rent, so they weren't anything big, but I decided if I was going to get one person a present it would be Natsu - Happy was kind of a given add on.

I was catching the train home later that night, but I stayed long enough for Mira to cook us all dinner and Lisanna shared around the left over cake.

Natsu insisted on walking me to the train station, so he accompanied me back to my apartment to pack.

It took me all of five minutes to pack some normal clothes, not being sure I'd be allowed to use them while at home. My Father always insisted on these stupid puffy dresses, far more fitting for an heiress than miniskirts.

After double checking I'd turned everything off, I stuffed my phone charger in my bag and walked out into the sitting room.

It was a quiet walk to the train station, the streets dark and cold with Christmas so close. I felt a small ache in my chest as we talked, knowing this was the last I'd see of him for at least a fortnight, and it was with a heavy heart that I hugged him goodbye on the platform.

He stayed to wave me off as I got on the train, and I watched him until the train rounded a corner, his pink hair and big grin vanishing from view.

I slumped into my seat, feeling even worse about going home than usual.

The week without talking to Natsu had been awful, but at least I'd seen him once every day. I was dreading a whole two weeks with only a phone to keep us in contact, and I'd have to be careful about using it. Father wouldn't approve of me contacting him too often.

Absentmindedly I pulled out my phone, trying to find that blog that Levy had shown me earlier, but I couldn't remember what it was called. Searching 'NaLu Blog' gave me over 10 different links to choose from.

The first link did indeed have pictures of Natsu and I out on the ice ring. It also had pictures of us at Erza's fencing stall, of Natsu tickling me in the temporary wrestling ring, and of me struggling to win an arm wrestle. There was one of me looking at him with an exasperated smile, Natsu too busy stuffing huge amounts of food into his mouth to notice. The nicest (and probably least assuming) one I found was of the two of us leaving school grounds. Natsu had his arm slung around my shoulders, and it looked like we were laughing at something Levy had said.

There was no way around it, it was creepy being photographed without knowing it. But the photos did fill me with a kind of hope that, even if Natsu didn't feel the way I did, other people were rooting for me.

* * *

The chauffeur met me at the station when the train pulled in at 9 o'clock. He smiled, took my bag, and led me to a black car with the Heartfelia crest embossed on the back door.

It felt a bit odd being called 'Miss Heartfelia' again. I'd spent so much time insisting people call me Lucy I almost repeated the process with my driver, but stopped myself just in time. My Father wouldn't approve.

The ride back was quiet, the chauffeur speaking only to inform me that Mr Heartfelia was getting ready for a business trip.

I spent most of the journey wondering what questions my Father would ask me, then trying to conjure up answers he'd want to hear.

When we drove through the front gates of the estate, despite my nerves, I felt a small rush of excitement at seeing a small group of people under the light outside the kitchen entrance.

As soon as the car stopped I opened the door, running over to the crowd of house staff, and hugging first Spetto, then the cook, then the librarian, and finally all the maids I knew.

Before I could meet any of the new staff I didn't recognise, Spetto ushered me towards the main entrance, saying,

"Your Father wants to see you. He's due to leave soon, but wanted to stay long enough to see you arrive."

My heart sank at the thought of all those corsets and dresses waiting for me upstairs. Spetto seemed to know what I was thinking, smiling at me sadly and patting me reassuringly on the shoulder.

"There's tea and cake to be had as soon as he's gone," she said, "just bare with him."

I nodded, returning her small smile, and the house staff started filing back through the kitchen entrance while I walked towards the front doors.

There were guards standing either side of the doors, dressed in black suits. If it weren't for the heartfelia crest on their tie, they could've passed for Rune knights from the magic council.

Neither of the men acknowledged me but they opened the heavy main doors, closing it quickly as soon as I'd walked inside.

Seeing the entrance hall again reminded me of my first mission with Fairy Tail. This place was far more boring than Everlue's mansion, having none of the floating candles or magical displays, and the absence of anyone in sight made it feel colder.

I climbed the marble stairs, looking up at the large painting on the landing where the stairs branched off into the East and West wings.

I stopped on the landing, feeling a small lump rise in my throat.

It was the same painting that'd hung there since before I could remember, depicting my Father, Mother, and me as a very small child. But my Mother looks so different here than she had done in the mural at the council.

Though she was wearing the same puffy dress it wasn't ripped, and her hair was still up in its neat bun behind her head. The fierce, blazing look she'd worn in the mural was smoothed out, pressed into a look of polite contentment, while her hand rested on my shoulder.

But I did see something I'd never noticed before, not because it had changed but I'd just never known what to look for.  
My mother had a large pocket sewn onto the side of her dress, the objects inside pressing against the material.

There was the notebook she always carried with her, but at the edge of the pocket, what I'd always thought was a pen, looked very different now I had Virgo's key. It had the same heart shape at the end. She'd apparently hidden her keys behind her notebook.

"Miss Lucy?"

I jumped, looking around to see one of the maids at the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm to help you change," she said.

"Right," I said, "thank you."

I turned my back on the painting, walking purposefully up the stairs towards the east wing. For some reason I felt a little braver.

Like Mum, I'd hidden my keys, and beneath my dress and coat was the leather garter Erza had lent me. My keys were fastened to my right thigh, and a holster I'd found in the fairy tail store room strapped my whip to my left leg. There'd be not problem hiding them all the layers of puffy dress material.

When I finally reached my room, the maid closed the door, waiting for me to change behind the privacy screen. The long blue dress I was to wear was hung up next to the floor length mirror, a pair of heeled shoes beside it.

With a small sigh I walked behind the vanity screen and changed out of my normal clothes, putting on the petticoat that hung up behind it. I slipped on the undone corset and stepped out from behind the screen, the maid coming forwards to help lace me into it.

She apologised as she pulled on the corset strings, tying it 'necessarily' tight, then helping me into the dress. I was right to think the frills hid the lump that was my keys and whip, though I noticed the gate keys jingled slightly as I stepped into the appropriate shoes.

The maid bade me good luck and opened the door for me, saying she'd put my things away while I saw my Father.

I thanked her, steeling myself as I walked out the door, heading for the West wing where my Father's study lay in wait.

I double checked my posture as I walked, going over the answers I'd thought about in the car, and taking a calming breath as I reached his office door.

I knocked once, and heard him call,

"Enter."

Turning the brass door handle, I pushed against the heavy wooden door.

My Father was standing with his back to me, staring out the window at the dark grounds of Heartfelia estate.

I didn't close the door as I walked inside, not wanting to seal my exit shut.

"You wanted to see me Father?" I asked delicately.

He sighed, turning around to look at me, his hands behind his back as he looked me up and down.

"You look well." He said shortly.

"As do you."

He inclined his head gratefully.

"Did you have a good birthday?"

"It was quite agreeable." I said, trying to keep my tone light. "Thank you for letting me leave the Academy. I'm having fun pursuing my education in the normal world."

My Father raised his eyebrows,

"It can't be convenient, living so far away from school. Though I suppose you're used to the work of normal folk now."

I had a feeling he was trying to make me confess I had a job. Whether or not he knew where I worked I didn't know. I certainly wasn't going to tell him.

"The work is no trouble," I said, "I enjoy the chance to have a break from my studies."

"And you've been studying hard?" He asked. "Not attending any ballroom parties?"

I calmly hitched a puzzled expression onto my face.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean?"

My Father walked around his desk slowly.

"One of my associates said that he saw you at Era's Christmas ball."

"Era?" I asked innocently. "I don't remember you ever taking me there. Is it a pretty town?"

My Father ignored this question, fixing me with a calculating stare.

"I hear their festivals have become quite the attraction in Magnolia. Particularly this new Fairy Tail performance group."

"Oh yes," I said casually, "Levy and I went to see the performance. I have no idea how they did half their tricks. It was quite spectacular."

He was still obviously unconvinced I was telling the truth, but he didn't say anything more.

"I'm due to leave on a business trip in a few minutes." He said, apparently hoping to probe information out of me. "I'm hoping to seal a deal with a financial backer to expand our railways outside of Fiore. He has a son just about to come of age, so after your engagement you'll be moving out of the country. It has to be before his soul mark manifests, of course, so if all goes well tonight you might be Wed before the new year."

He looked me directly in the eye, apparently looking for signs of shock or even protest. All I felt was a kind of satisfactory anger burning in my stomach. I felt pleased to see my Father's eyebrows rise as I said,

"I don't think that'd be wise. You see, I've found my soul mate. He's one of those Fairy Tail performers. I'm sure you'll see his appeal, his performances are absolutely fascinating. Almost like real magic."

He advanced on me so fast I almost took a step back, but when he clasped my upper arms his expression looked concerned as well as aggressive.

"What does he think about your Mother's heirloom?"

His eyes flicked down to where Aquarius' key was hidden beneath the material of my dress.

"He's never mentioned it. Why?"

My Father took a step back and shook his head, turning around to walk back to his desk. He picked up his briefcase, and judging by his tone was in the process of trying not to panic.

"You are to stay inside until I get back," he said sternly, "no out door excursions, no contact with the outside world. Spetto will confiscate your phone."

"No she won't," I said firmly, amazed at my Father's reaction.

He knew that I knew about magic, he must do.

"You will not argue and we will discuss this when I'm back," my Father snapped, "by then your journey outside of Fiore will be secured. I shall see you soon."

He walked briskly past me, his shoes clacking as he swept out of his office and down the corridor.

I stood still, battling with myself about whether to go after him or not.

I could easily show him with my magic that I know he's been lying to me, but what if he knows magic too? Mum must've told him about celestial magic users' weaknesses. If he managed to manipulate them I might not be able to fight back.

I can't run away right now, he'd have people chasing me for the rest of my life. Fairy Tail might try and back me up, try and fight him with me, but I knew he'd pull strings with government officials to get me back. I wouldn't put it past him to evict every Fairy Tail member from their homes, force Makarov to sell the guild. I didn't know if the magic council had the power to stop him? Even if they did what if he payed them off?

What the hell was I going to do?

* * *

After pacing in my Father's office for god knows how long I still had no idea how to get out of this engagement without Natsu marrying me in the next few hours. Ringing him up to plead with him to marry me felt almost more nerve-wracking than trying to force my Father to leave me alone with magic.

In the end I resolved to go down to the kitchens, thinking that Spetto might have a better idea of what my Father did or didn't know.

I walked across the very long dining room and through the door to the kitchens.

The old tables where the staff ate had been covered with table clothes and there were pots of tea and cakes running down the centre, all the staff calling greetings, a few hugging me, and ushering me into a seat.

I was bombarded with requests from the familiar staff, about everything from how I'd managed to get by after I'd left the academy, to requests of seeing their favourite celestial spirit.

I was shocked at first, but Spetto explained that since she'd sent me Cancer's key the staff had all been waiting for me to come back and spread some magic around the house again.

Most of the maids seemed to want to see Leo, but I opened Aries gate instead, thinking he'd self summon to come along with her (two spirits for the magic price of one).

Sure enough, at the sound of a doorbell, there was a puff of spirit smoke, and the couple appeared next to me. They weren't however, wearing their usual attire. Their clothes were now uniforms, similar to what the house staff wore.

Aries' fluffy white dress and leg warmers had been replaced by a long, black woollen dress, the skirt of which was puffed out with what I'm sure was lots of fluffy lining. Loke on the other hand didn't have his ginger ears, and his hair was lying far flatter then usual, his red tie now black and his glasses gone.

"Oh man." Loke said, raising the arm not wrapped around Aries to pat his hair. "It's been ages since I used this form."

Loke let his arm fall to his side, seeing me staring at the both of them. He seemed to take confusion for being starstruck and winked at me,

"If you like it that much Beautiful, I'll make this look permenant."

Aries nudged him and smiled at me briefly before saying hello to the room at large.  
"Hello everyone."

The newest house staff were looking on in awe, apparently having been told about my spirits but never having seen magic.

Several of the maids got out of their seats and ran to hug Aries. To my surprise, there were more people flocking around the ram spirit than there were around Loke, who stood with his hands in his pockets, and pulled over a chair to sit beside me.

While everyone fawned over Aries he poked me in the arm, and frowned in a concerned kind of way,

"You okay?"

"No." I said quietly. "I can't work out how to get out of an engagement that'll send me out of the country. I can't work out how to refuse without my Father taking it out on Fairy Tail."

Loke laid a hand on my shoulder,

"It'll be okay."

"No it won't." I said quietly, trying my best not to cry as the spirit put an arm around me,

"Sure it will. In fact, I have a brilliant plan that's gonna make it okay. Mind if I pop off for a bit so I can work my magic?"

"What magic is gonna help in this kind of situation?"

Loke drew his arm back from around me, going back to flirting as he grinned at me cockily,

"Come on Beautiful, I don't wanna spoil the surprise. Just enjoy the peace and quiet while you can. I'll sort everything out."

Not completely reassured I stared at Loke as he got to his feet. To my great surprise, Loke bent down and kissed the top of my head, just like my Mother used to do before I went to bed. As he disappeared in a puff of spirit smoke I felt the small knot of nerves in my stomach loosen slightly.

Aries took his vacated seat, gently putting a hand on my arm. I felt the warmth of her pink cotton wash over me, and realised he had a wad of it between her palm and my forearm.

Everyone regained their seats, a few of them pouring out the tea while everyone helped themselves to cake. The sight of so many people smiling all around me reminded me of Fairy Tail. With that happy thought and the calming effect of Aries' wool, I managed to shelf thoughts of my impending doom as I began to tell them all that'd happened since I'd left for Magnolia's Academy for Young Gentlemen and Ladies.

I went through the stories of finding Taurus and Virgo's keys, and most of them were shocked about how I'd hidden myself from my soul mate for Lisanna. I told them about how Erza had whipped me into shape during lunch time training sessions, how a dark guild took the whole of the Academy hostage, leaving out the trips I'd made to Fairy Tail's infirmary.

Aries interjected every now and again with stories of me and Natsu, little episodes that she found cute and I found highly embarrassing. The cooing when I told them about Natsu saving me from that love potion at the ball made my face grow a little hot.

After an hour and a half of chatting, I was starting to feel incredibly tired, and the corset under my dress was beginning to hurt. As I sat back in my seat, letting Aries do the talking, I felt content now full of cake and tea. Spetto wasn't fooled when I tried to hide my yawning, and announced that I needed to get to bed.

After Aries made a round of goodbye hugs she disappeared in a puff of spirit smoke, and I bade everyone goodnight while Spetto accompanied me up to my bedroom.

Remembering my reasoning for going down to the kitchens in the first place, I asked her about my Father as we climbed the stair case. Spetto wasn't sure whether he could cast any magic, though we agreed just because she hadn't seen it didn't mean I should rule it out.

Spetto helped me get out of my corset and into a nightdress, waiting until I'd gotten into bed before turning out the light.

I was thankful I was so worn out. Aries' wool had disappeared and my nerves were back.

How odd it was that just hours ago, my biggest worry had been a slightly creepy shipping blog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More coming soon, but it's been a while since you had a chapterly fact!
> 
> The reason rooster's cockadoodle doos don't make them go deaf is that their ear canals close every time their beaks open.
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
> Hope to see ya soon :D  
> M


	18. Debut of the Double Agent

I couldn't fall asleep.

Despite being emotionally exhausted my mind keep reeling through every possible way my life was about to be ruined.

After an hour of tossing and turning I decided to get up, wanting to do something to ease my worries, and having only one idea in mind.

Tip toing across the freezing cold stone floor, I pulled on my slippers and grabbed my phone off my bedside table to use as a flashlight. I opened my bedroom door quietly, cautious of waking up the house staff as I snuck back to the stairs at the main entrance.

Down a small flight of steps, past the family portrait, I snuck up the steps leading to the East wing, praying Spetto hadn't locked my Father's study door.

I was in luck. The doorhandle turned easily when I tried it, and opening the door quietly I slipped inside.

Not really sure what I was looking for I decided to start at his desk. His filing cabinets held lots of information, but any really important was sure to be in desk draws.

I found piles of documents in most of the draws, and thumbed through them looking for evidence my Father knew about magic, or even information on my fiancé to be. However I found nothing but contracts, stamped company letters, and staff pay checks.

With a sinking heart I realised any useful paper evidence would probably be in his safe (which I had no chance of cracking) or in the breif case he'd taken with him.

I sat down at his desk, feeling resigned, and the screen of the computer lit up, the interface asking for my Father's password.

Not having any high hopes I took a shot at hacking into his account.

A smug feeling blossomed in my stomach when the computer made a successful sound, loading up my Father's desktop. I didn't know how How Heartfelia railways made any money if its billionaire owner used 'password' to lock his personal computer.

The home screen sprung up, then a window for the internet, a small alert popping up in the middle of the screen, asking if I wanted to 'restore the previous session'. I clicked 'restore' and ten or so tabs popped up.

The first was Fairy Tail's new homepage, advertising the guild as an 'illusion art group', and decorated with pictures from the halloween festival. I checked down the page but found no pictures of me, though there was one of Erza looking scary in her skeletal makeup, and a picturesque shot of Wendy flying in front of the moon.

The second tab was a magazine pdf, the date in the top right showing it was at least ten years old. It was an edition of 'Sorcerer Weekly', and I felt my heart clench as I laid eyes on the front cover. It was a group photo of the dragons, each holding placards with their names on, like some kind of sitcom intro.

Mum stood in the centre, holding her placard under her chin, the loopy font reading _Celestial Layla_.

I recognised the man behind her by the dimples in his cheeks. Natsu had the same grin.

Though he didn't look very tall in the mural, Igneel was easily tall enough in this photo to lean his arm on Mum's head. He was balancing his placard on his head, blocky writing reading _Firey Igneel_.

To Mum and Igneel's right there was _Shadowy Skiadrum_ and _White Light Weisslogia_. They both had their arms around the shoulders of a man holding a placard reading _Poisonous Cuebellios._ Eric's Father was a smirking lightly, but I noticed with a sinking feeling that the shadow and light dragons had their son's original eye colour. The lacrima Sting and Rogue had for eyes made them look quite different from their Fathers, though Skiadrum seemed to have an element of Rogue's reserved temprement, standing upright while Weisslogia stuck a pose.

To the right of the light, shadow, and poison dragons was a man standing a little apart from the group. He had blue hair, bright blue tattoos, and red eyes that looked reluctantly at the camera.

_Soulful Acnologia_ read his placard.

The only picture I'd ever seen of Acnologia was of his dragon form in the mural at the council. Seeing him now, in human form, seemed more intimating than his huge size as a dragon. Sure, you could tell he had fangs the size of a child at the council, but the magazine's cover showed he wasn't an empty headed beast. There was boredom in his eyes, and though the muslces on his arms weren't bulging like Igneels, the sight of a human Acnologia sent goosebumps down my spine.

Pulling my eyes away from my arch nemesis I clicked on the next tab, but I was met with an equally stomach turning image.

It was another cover of Sorcerer Weekly, this one showing my Father standing at Mum's grave.

Bolded print titled the picture as _The Celestial Price of the War_.

I clicked through the pdf to the article inside the magazine, skim reading the report of my Mother's death. It detailed rumours of Acnologia killing me as well as Mum. The reporter backed up this claim with the evidence that only the greiving of two family members could keep my Father from making a statement about my Mother to the magical world. I suppose my Father thought sustaining the rumours would keep the magical world out of his hair.

The walls of the estate were certainly high enough to hide me from view of reporters, and the constant guard patrols around the place would keep them out. I suppose there wasn't much proof I survived, and even if they'd checked student records, every academy I'd been to kept their student's information on lock down - part of their policy considering so many well to do heirs attended their school.

I clicked on the next tab, and the sense of dread in my stomach turning in a split second to anger.

It was a blog, similar to the ones Levy had shown me earlier today - dedicated to mine and Natsu's 'love story'.

At the top was a picture of me helping him rush a homework assignment he'd left disastrously late. Natsu had dragged me into the library half way through lunch time, still in his track kit, and pleaded for help. The photo showed him hunched over an essay, his windbreaker tied around his waist, his sleeveless track top showing the red soul mark on his arm. My matching mark was visible on the hand pressed against my forehead, my elbow propping my head up as I read through his sheet of questions.

My Father knew. I was sure he knew. The next tab was a blog devoted entirely to Natsu, as if he'd been researching his background through social media.

The most recent pictures were of him running half naked around the sports track today, but there were also collections of him and the track team training. There were a few of him fighting with Gray, even a still from the video Gajeel had shown me, the one Erza had clearly failed to confiscate when a senior goaded Natsu about asking me out.

So he'd known about me and Natsu. Not only that, the pages from Sorcerer Weekly showed he must know Natsu was no ordinary Fairy Tail mage. His resemblence to Igneel was unmistakable.

My Father had known the answer to every question he'd asked me, but had the nerve to look me in the eye and gloss over the open answers I gave to him. Of course, the sudden engagement made sense now. While I wasn't married to Natsu, I was still free game for his business marketing.

I stood up, fuming.

He wants to plead ignorance, fine. Let's see if he can keep his mouth shut when he sees how I've decorated my bedroom walls.

* * *

I spent the next hour and a half printing every picture I could find of me and Natsu, plus a collection of just Natsu himself.

After taking several sheets of blue-tac from my Father's supply closet, I logged off the computer, snatched up the huge pile of printed pictures and ran back to my room.

After closing the door behind me I rushed over to my bedside table, pulling my keys from their pouch, and searching through the collection of gold ones.

"Open, gate of the giant Crab," I called, pointing Cancer's key in front of me.

There was a puff of spirit smoke, the sound of snipping scissors, and the crab spirit stood in a dramatic pose in front of me.

"Miss, or should I say _Lady_ Lucy, being back at the old pad?" Cancer stood up straight, looking around the room nostaligically.

"I've got a pretty big trimming job up for grabs, think you can handle it?"

Cancer answered by snipping his sissors, looking back at me with a grin.

I handed him the pictures.

"Can you cut these photos out? I'm re-decorating my walls."

Cancer used one of his crab claws to take the wad of paper from me. Using another claw he began to flick pages out of the pile like he was dealing cards. Slashing his sissors through the air like swords, the photos were cut out perfectly with just one slice.

"Open, gate of the maiden," I called, looking away from Cancer as Virgo appeared in a puff of spirit smoke beside me.

She bowed happily, smiling as she said,

"How can I be of service Princess?"

I gave her one of the sheets of blue-tac and explained my plan.

With Virgo and Cancer's help, what would've taken an entire day took no more than an hour.

Virgo changed her form once we'd covered the lower half of the walls, growing 3ft both in height and around the middle. As a giant with pink hair, though still drssed in a maid's uniform, she looked terrifying, but it enabled her to attach pictures nearer the high ceiling so I didn't complain.

While Virgo took charge of the upper walls, I flicked through the pictures Cancer had finished cutting up, searching for a few racier ones of Natsu.

There were a couple his fangirls had taken of him while he was a track practise. While he didn't get overheated as the fire dragon slayer, his teammates did and had pulled their tops off. The reason Natsu might give Erza was that he had to 'blend in to the non-magical world' by following their lead, though looking at him shirtless gave me the impression he just wanted to show off all his hard work training.

There were a few of him stretching, and one of him leaning cooly against a tree. He would've looked like a model if he'd tied his scarf around his waist rather than his neck. There was also one the track team had posed for, or at least I think they had, I couldn't quite work it out as his fangirls had cropped out everyone around him. But he didn't usually flex so obviously for the camera, not unless he was trying to show up Gray.

I stuck these topless photos to the wooden ceiling of my fourposter bed, giving myself some pin-up pictures to stare at while falling asleep.

I was a little dissapointed my Father didn't have a printer that did larger sheets. A life-size, topless cutout of Natsu would look nice on the back of my bedroom door, and it might just make my Father so angry he'd blurt out all he knew about the magical world.

By 3am, Virgo had disappeared in a puff of spirit smoke, and my bin was full of paper cuttings left by Cancer.

My bedroom looked almost unrecognisable. The white walls with gold detailing had been completely covered with pictures of me and Natsu.

Satisfied I climbed back into bed, grinning sheepishly at the pictures of a topless Natsu above me. It wasn't a bad sight to fall asleep to at all.

* * *

A shriek woke me from pleasent dreams and I sat bolt upright, half thinking I was under attack.

I grabbed my keys off my bedside table, squinting in the morning sunlight streaming through my windows, but relaxed as I saw Spetto. She was stood in the doorway, tea tray in hand, her mouth open as she looked around at my walls.

She stared at me for a second, clearly unsure what to say.

"I looked through Father's computer last night. He acted like he knew nothing yesterday but in fact I'm pretty sure he knows everything, or at least everything about Natsu and me. Thought this might knock the ignorant act."

"Well I don't know about the act," Spetto said, walking over with the tea tray, "but you might knock him out due to shock."

I took that as a compliment, moving my whip onto my bedspread so that Spetto could put the tea tray on my bedside table.

"What are you up to today?" I asked, thanking her as she handed me a teacup.

"Well, we were planning on decorating the estate for Christmas." Spetto said. "You're welcome to join us, but I'm afraid the usual dress code applies."

I groaned into my tea cup, and Spetto tutted at me,

"Oh now come on, you know how your Father gets when he comes back to find you in casual clothes. If he's coming back to this," she gestured at my walls, "and you're dressed in those short skirts you like, he might just have a fit."

He'd deserve it.

Still, I agreed to change into fancy clothes, retiring to my bathroom after finishing my tea.

The bathroom was alarmingly big compared to the one in my apartment. The bath was on its own platform at the far end, and where I had cheap blue tiles in my apartment, the bathroom here had been decorated in white and gold like my bedroom walls.

I had to admit, using the expensive bubble bath, shampoo, and the assortment of moisturisers was nice for a change. Still, a lifetime supply of the stuff wouldn't make me trade my Strawberry Street bathroom for this one.

Once I'd dried off, I attached the thigh holsters for my keys and whip, and put my towel around me before going out into my room, finding one of the newer members of staff waiting by my dresser.

Father doesn't think it's proper to have any unnecessary conversations with the staff, but I tried to offer friendly chit chat as I walked behind the privacy screen, putting on the underclothes and petticoat laid out for me.

The maid seemed a little too polite, but I hadn't expected to break the newer staff's habit of pleasantries so easily.

By the time she'd tied me into my corset and helped me into a puffy pink dress, she seemed a little more at ease. She started to tell me about her family while doing my hair, drawing out the time by weaving a few ornamental flowers around the base of my tight bun.

I summoned Plue before leaving my bedroom, and the Maid finally lost most of her formality as she cooed about how cute he was. Though she was still calling me 'Miss' she was now used my first name instead of my last. I was struck by the thought of how different my life here was from the life papered around my walls. Natsu rarely ever called me Lucy, let alone adding on a title.

I ate breakfast in the kitchen with the staff, glad my Father wasn't here because I got to eat in a room full of laughter instead of an empty dining room.

True to his orders, I didn't step outside after I'd eaten, but mostly because it was so cold.

The staff had lit fires in any occupied rooms, and I had fun helping them decorate the house. Plue tried to help, though he kept getting tangled in tinsel, but he managed to put a few baubles up on one of the many Christmas trees around the house - standing on my hands to reach branches I couldn't.

By lunch time, the only rooms left to decorate were the kitchens and my bedroom. Spetto handed me the small cardboard box for my room, promising to call me for lunch once they were done.

I always decorated my room on my own.

Years ago, Mum and I used to do it together, and in the years gone by I'd refused Spetto's help. It was still our tradition, even if she wasn't here anymore. Saying that, I knew a part of her was with me in my gate keys. The knowledge made me feel, not exactly happier, but I didn't feel as lonely as usual when I set the box down on my dressing table.

Plue jumped up on a chair, clambering onto my desk as I opened the small box, leaning over to see what was inside.

It wasn't much, just a few gold and silver stars, but he helped me carry them over to my bed.

There was little hooks screwed into the wood of the four poster's frame, letting me hang the stars along all four sides of my bed.

I could hear the hustle and bustle of a food delivery outside and hurried to put them up, knowing lunch couldn't be too long. My heart seemed to warm as I put the last few gold stars up.

As I hung the last one on the right side of my bed, someone from the doorway spoke.

"Now I see why Virgo calls you Princess."

I felt my jaw drop.

I spun around, staring at Natsu who was leaning against my doorframe, wearing his usual vest and sandles despite the cold. He grinned, dimples appearing in his cheeks as he fiddled with his white scarf,

"I know you love me Luce, but this looks kind of obsessive."

My stomach flipped over as I saw his eyes skate around the walls of my room. Remembering the pictures stuck to the roof of my four poster, I took a few steps towards him.

I think I'd die of embarressment if Natsu found topless photos of himself above my pillows

"It's not what it looks like!" I protested, hating how nervous I sounded. "Levy showed me all these blogs, and then I came home and my Father knew everything but didn't tell me, and now I'm gonna be engaged—"

"—Nah you're not," Natsu said confidently, walking over to me so we weren't speaking from opposite sides of the room.

"You don't know my Father."

Natsu shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets,

"No I don't, but—"

"—we are not getting married!" I said quickly.

Natsu rolled his eyes,

"I'm not asking you to marry me."

I felt my stomach flip at this and tried to play it off jokingly,

"You're not? But I thought you loved me?"

"Course I do." My stomach did a small backflip. "But you're forgetting you've got another family who isn't hoping to marry you off."

"You're not telling me team Natsu is here to bully my Father into submission?"

I knew it wouldn't work, but picturing my Father trying to take on Erza made me smile just a little.

"Are you kidding?" Natsu said, putting a hand on each of my shoulders. "Luce, Fairy Tail came to knock some sense into your Dad."

"The whole of Fairy Tail is here?! Right now?!"

"Well, everyone that was in the Guildhall when Loke came to visit. He said you needed some back up, so everyone who was there came running." Natsu wrinkled his nose. "Well, I wish we ran here. You live so far away my stomach ain't gonna be right for weeks."

Natsu rubbed his midrif.

I felt such a rush of affection as he scowled down at me I couldn't help pulling him into a hug.

The worry about being able to escape my Father, the shock of every revelation I'd gotten since coming home felt almost managable as Natsu wrapped his arms around me.

I didn't have any idea how Fairy Tail's presence would fix things, but at least I had someone here to be worried and confused with.

I drew back as my eyes began to water, not wanting to cry in such a happy moment, and I grinned at Natsu as he looked me up at down.

"You must've known I was coming." He pointed between his hair and my pink dress. "We match."

I looked down, slightly mortified as I realised what I was wearing.

"Give me a second," I muttered, "I'll change into something normal."

Natsu looked me up and down again with a smirk.

"Yeah, you'd better. That outfit just doesn't work without a tiara...wait do you have a tiara?"

I didn't say anything as I walked over to my wardrobe, trying not to think about the boxes of hair pieces I had for more elaborate balls.

Natsu sniggered at my lack of an answer, and I tried to ignore him as I pulled some normal clothes out of my closet and walked behind the privacy screen.

I kicked off my heeled shoes and pulled the pink dress over my head

"What are these?"

"What are what?" I asked, unable to see Natsu while standing behind the privacy screen.

"The stars on your bed."

"Oh, they're Christmas decorations. My Mum used to put them up with me every year. It's the only decoration my Dad still lets me use."

"Kinda weird since he's trying to hide magic from you."

"Natsu they're Christmas decorations?"

"Sure, but they're stars. And there's twelve gold ones. There's 12 zodiac keys right?"

I felt my stomach lurch.

Stepping out from behind the privacy curtain I stared at the stars hung up.

Natsu was right, there were twelve gold stars.

"So your Mum had eight silver keys?" Natsu said, counting the silver stars on my bed.

I walked over to him, frowning as he picked up the single, glittering black star.

"What's this meant to be?" He asked.

"That must be Ophiuchus," I said slowly, "Yukino has that key. Ophiuchus is the thirteenth zodiac."

I stared from the star in his hand to the ones on the bed, feeling suspended in time as this new information slowly sunk in.

Christmas decorations weren't exactly an important revelation. Knowing my Mum had eight silver keys wouldn't help the dark guilds unlock Nirvana. But, like seeing the painting hanging over the stairs, knowing there was a sign of magic left in the house after Mum had been gone for so long was comforting. It was like finding little notes she'd written for me. A trail she'd left for me that wasn't covered up despite my Father's enthusiasm to ban magic.

"You okay?" Natsu asked.

I looked up jerkily, nodding,

"Yeah, I...there's lots of things in the past, things I never knew were connected to magic. In this house I mean. They've been here all this time, hiding in plain sight. It's a little overwhelming."

Natsu smiled understandingly,

"Seeing something familiar in a new light for the first time...it's scary, but it's also pretty cool."

I stared at him in surprise.

"Since when were you so good with words?"

Natsu shrugged,

"Some weirdo's been tutoring me."

I glared at him reproachfully, my stomach doing another little backflip as he grinned down at me, dimples appearing in his cheeks.

It'd been barely an evening since I'd seen him, but it was an evening I'd spent thinking I might not ever see him again. It felt good to be close enough to see him grin like that.

"CAN'T YOU GUYS WAIT UNTIL AFTER LUNCH TO TAKE YOUR CLOTHES OFF?!"

I jumped at Gray's shout, turning to see him stood in the doorway with his hand over his eyes.

With a yelp or realisation I rushed back behind the privacy screen. I was only wearing a corset, which sat very low on my chest, and a semi-transparent petty coat that didn't leave much to the imagination.

I took started unlacing the corset, hearing the smirk in Gray's voice as he said,

"I'd ask them to bring lunch up, but I don't think you two are ready for food in the bedroom yet."

"Hate to disappoint ya ice queen, but Lucy lets me eat in her room all the time!"

I felt my face grow hot.

"That's not what he means Natsu," I called.

I heard Gray laugh and begin to walk away, and after a few seconds I heard a sound of understanding from my soul mate. Shouting insults at Gray, I peeked out from behind the privacy screen to see Natsu racing after his mortal enemy.

There was a muffled sound from over on my dresser, and I saw Plue still sat there. He was usually shaking, though this time I could've sworn it was because of repressed giggling.

* * *

I put on a pair of thick tights under my skirt for warmth, glad to put my keys and whip back on their usual belt around my waist. It felt badass using thigh holsters, but they were a little awkward.

Not wanting to waist time unravelling flowers and the elaborate bun my hair had been pulled into, I quickly pulled on a shirt, stuff my feet into boots, and left my room.

I could hear the unmistakable noise of Fairy Tail half way down the corridor, and didn't need my slayer senses to find them in the massive house, having only to follow the sound of fighting and laughter.

I stopped for a moment outside the dining room door, my heart pounding in anticipation. With a deep breath, I let a grin spread across my face as I pulled open the door.

Father and I usually sat at opposite ends of the dining table to eat, but today the long table was spread like an all you can eat buffet.

True there were place settings along either side of the table, but I'd never seen so much food on the platers laid between them. There were towers of sandwiches in at least five different flavours, dishes of pasta and salad, bowls of soup, plates of cheese, bread, and fresh fruit. It was a bit of a change from the tiny, elegant portions served when my Father was home.

As Natsu had promised, Fairy Tail members were spread around the room, some sitting at the table, a few of them in the corner wrestling, and the Strauss siblings helping the kitchen staff to bring out more food.

I just about heard someone yell,

"Lu!" before my vision was obscured by bushy blue hair.

I found myself grinning so widely my cheeks hurt as I hugged Levy back, drawing back after a moment as Lissanna had run up to me.

Lisanna, then Mira, Wendy, Cana, and to my surprise Juvia all hugged me in turn. As I drew back however, I spotted Spetto on the arm of a familiar spirit, leading the head of the house staff to the table like they were on a date.

Telling the girls I'd be back I ran over to them.

Loke looked up at me with his usual flirty grin, but it fell from his face as I threw my arms around his neck in a hug.

"Thank you," I said, noticing he was so surprised he had yet to hug me back.

After a few seconds his arms drew around me.

"Anything for you Beautiful," he said, his voice far softer than usual. It was nice hearing him speak without a flirty lilt to his voice.

After a few seconds I gave him a quick squeeze, expecting him to take that as a cue to let go, but the spirit kept his arms around me.

"Errr...Loke?"

"Just a few more seconds," he said, "Natsu's face is rarely this amusing."

I pushed myself back from him with a scowl, glancing over at Natsu who quickly turned away as I looked over at him.

"Sit down Miss Lucy," Spetto said, "I'm sure your friends are hungry, and I can't wait a moment more to hear their stories!"

I smiled, taking a seat next to Spetto and finding Natsu quickly falling into the seat beside me, his eyes fixed on Loke.

Feeling a little smug, I started loading up my plate with food.

* * *

It was the best meal I'd ever had at home.

The food was just as good as usual, different to Mira's cooking at Fairy Tail but just as tasty. With so many voices filling the huge dining room, and the knowledge that every one of them was there for me, I couldn't help but feel my anxiety ebb away. This was what I remembered family being like. What it was supposed to be like.

Loke sat at Spetto's side throughout lunch, apolagising loudly to me that he hadn't made Natsu wait back at the guild, as the exceeds and older, working members of Fairy Tail had chosen to stay behind. Luckily Erza was sitting on Natsu's other side, because he stood up at Loke's words, but it took no more than Erza's vice like grip on his upper arm to get him to sit down again.

Spetto spent the entire lunch asking for stories about Fairy Tail, having not heard anything about the guild since Mum had passed.

At the end of lunch, Levy asked Spetto about the letter she'd sent Cancer's key in, and it reminded me that Spetto had mentioned about hiding silver keys around the estate.

Spetto admitted she'd lied in the letter, just in case it'd gone astray. After all, it'd be much harder for a thief to search the entire estate as opposed to one room. She'd hidden them in the library years ago, though she couldn't remember exactly where.

Loke walked over to me at this, putting a hand on my shoulder, and saying how he'd already been in the moral world a long time, but he'd suffer an hour longer to help me look.

"Lion zodiac my ass." Natsu said. "I'll help you look Luce, sounds like this pussy wants to go home."

Natsu stood up, seemingly taking his victory for granted and he started towards the door of the dining room.

Loke winked at me and made shooing motions for me to go after him. Not sure whether to feel glad or patronised, I ran after Natsu.

He was at the top of the stairs when I stepped through the dining room door, and I called out to him as he ran towards the West Wing,

"It's on the right Dorkneel!"

I ran up the steps, Natsu rushing back to meet me under the Heartfelia family portrait, climbing the steps to the East wing with me.

"If you really loved me," he muttered, "you'd find a new nickname."

"How many times do you still call me Luigi?" I complained, grabbing his arm as he tried to turn down the wrong corridor.

"You love being called Luigi."

"I do not!"

"Yeah you do! I can feel it." Natsu patted his stomach.

I stared at him.

"Your stomach is telling you I like being called Luigi?"

Natsu grinned at me,

"My stomach is telling me you _love_ being called Luigi? It lurches every time I say it."

"Maybe its your magic sensing the danger of calling me a name I don't like," I said flatly, trying to ignore the sudden fear that all my nervous stomach flipping was being transferred through our soul mark..

"Oh yeah," Natsu said smirking, "it's sensing the _danger_ of a Lucy kick."

I kicked out at his leg but he jumped back easily, mocking me,

"Oooh, so dangerous!"

I glared at him,

"I am so using you for target practise to test out these new keys."

Natsu pouted at me,

"Aw, come on Luce, is that any way to treat someone you love?"

"I'm going to _love_ using you as target practise."

Natsu smirked,

"Unless we find another Aquarius or Virgo, I doubt you'll be able to catch me."

"Who says I won't have Aquarius and Virgo catch you for target practise."

"Oh come on, that's just cruel!"

I grinned at him,

"I know. But you _love_ me anyway."

* * *

The library was directly over the dining room, though it looked a little smaller with book shelves lining the walls.

The high windows had their curtains drawn back, letting in streams of winter sunlight which made the tinsel set along the book shelves sparkle. The house staff had strung a line of holly over the top of the fire place, and the armchairs had Christmas blankets folded over the back of them. The old grandfather clock was the only thing that hadn't been decorated, as the grand piano and the portrait of my Mother over the fireplace had fairy lights strung around their edges.

If Yukino had Ophiuchus, I assumed the silver keys she had were also my Mothers. If she had Deneb and Polaris, while I had Plue and Pyxis, there were still four keys left to find in the library.

"So," Natsu said, looking around at the walls of books, "where do we start?"

"No idea. Besides mine and Yukino's, I don't know which of the 76 silver keys Mum had."

"Maybe they're hidden in a secret room." Natsu said, walking over to one of the shelves. "This looks like the kind of place where you pull out a book and a secret passage opens up."

"I doubt it...my Mum read every book on these shelves. None of them could be used as lever."

Natsu blew out his cheeks, looking around at the hundreds of books,

"She must've been really smart."

"She was." I said, smiling as I looked over at her arm chair. "She used to read to me every night in front of the fire. Sometimes there used to be..."

I trailed off, a fuzzy memory silencing me.

"What?" Natsu asked.

"Someone used to play the piano when she read," I said, "it wasn't very often. Just a few days a month, but...I never saw her any other time. I don't think my Father would employ someone to work so little...she must've been a spirit."

I strode over to the piano, Natsu following me lead. He peered into the piano's interior while I ran my hands around the piano stool.

Without any luck I lifted the seat's lid, finding all my old music books exactly as I'd left them.

"Got anything?" Natsu asked as I pulled out all the music books and put them on the floor.

"No...wait." I found a lump after running my fingers along the inner edges of the seat's lid.

Peering inside I saw the lump was covered in black tape, blending in with the wood of the seat. It was unmistakably warm to the touch, just like my gate keys.

I wriggled the tape away from the piano stool, and pulling it out found a silver key stuck to the back of it.

"One down, three to go," Natsu said, holding up his hand for a high five as I stood.

I grinned, smacking my palm against his and attaching the key to the ring on my belt.

"Any other useful memories?" Natsu asked.

I tried to cast my mind back.

There wasn't much that I could remember of when I was younger. What I could remember was my Father shouting at me, telling me not to talk about things of mere imagination.

I was nine at the time, so I should be able to remember something, but I suppose I'd repressed most of my memories after being scolded for asking about Mum.

I closed my eyes, distracted by the feeling of my magic pulsing in my chest. It felt like my magic's way of being excited, standing so close to Natsu. It felt like the magical version of my heart racing.

With my eyes closed, I noticed the magic in my chest wasn't the only golden light. I could sense the ring of keys on my hip glowing, their magic, or Mum's magic, shining.

Wondering if I could use my slayer senses to find the other keys I let the folden light spread outwards like a sonar, trying to ignore the orange fire of Natsu's magic a few feet away.

I sensed four things glowing the same gold as my keys. Three were small, most likley the other gate keys, but something else showed up that I found a little unbelievable.

"I can see the keys." I said.

"One's over there," eyes still closed, I pointed towards what I thought might be the grandfather clock.

"Another there," I pointed in the direction of the book case right by the door.

"Last one there," I pointed towards the portrait over the fire place.

I could hear Natsu rushing around towards the places I'd pointed, but I didn't follow him when I opened my eyes.

I walked over to the largest glow, one that was on the other side of the room, and about the size of a door.

Natsu seemed to have used his slayer senses because he found them without too much trouble, and was by my side in no time.

"You okay?" I heard him ask.

"I think you might be right," I said, frowning at the bookcase in front of me.

"Course I am," he said, "but right about what, specifically?"

"Try sensing behind that bookcase," I said.

Natsu was far more experienced with using his slayer senses, and he'd barely closed his eyes before exclaiming,

"I knew it! Secret room!"

Natsu handed me the keys he'd collected and started pulling every book off the shelf, looking for the 'lever'.

I attached the new keys to the ring with the rest, looking down at them. There probably had been a key in the grandfather clock, as the fob of one of the silver ones was the face of a clock, but the other two I couldn't get a clear impression of.

One had a circular fob with a green crystal at its centre, its end shaped like a cube and engraved with a dog bone. The other's fob was shaped like a cross, but apart from that looked like a normal key. It looked more like the key to an ancient treasure than a gate key.

"Nothing!" Natsu said, making me look up.

He'd pulled every book off the shelf of the book case.

"Maybe it's not a book," I said, "maybe the books were hiding a handle?"

Being taller than I was, Natsu started checking the higher shelves while I started at my eye-level. As luck would have it, the second shelf I checked seemed to be the one we were looking for.

On the back wall of the shelf, engraved into the wood, there was an exact circular indent.

I pressed inside it.

Nothing happened.

"Found something?" Natsu asked.

"I dunno, there's this bit cut out of the shelf but nothing's happening when I touch it."

Natsu reached for the back of the shelf, closing his eyes as his fingers found the indentation.

"There's writing," Natsu said slowly.

"In the wood?"

"No, it's like it's written with magic. It's tiny, but looking at it with my slayer senses...I think it says...river of stairs?" He opened his eyes. "Do you reckon there's a lever back at the staircase?"

An idea suddenly sprang to mind.

"You sure it doesn't say River of Stars?" I asked.

"Maybe, it's so small it's kinda hard to read."

I pulled my whip off my belt and bent down slightly, moving the baton around until it found the indentation. It slipped in snugly but, despite pushing and turning it in the slot, nothing happened.

"What are you doing?" Natsu asked.

"Levy said the french on my whip translates as river of stars. I thought, I mean this was my Mum's, so maybe it was a key."

"But it doesn't work?"

"It fits in perfectly, but nothing's happening."

"Are you using magic?"

"What d'you mean am I using magic?" I asked, looking up at Natsu. "It's a magical artefact."

"You've gotta channel magic through it Luce, otherwise it's just a metal stick. A magic door can't open without a magic key."

I rolled my eyes half praying nothing happened as I channeled magic through it.

There was an audible clunk, then the sound of a metal lock being drawn back, and as I withdrew my whip, the bookcase swung back just a little. The door was ajar.

Natsu crossed his arms smugly,

"And _that_ is why you love me."

I rolled my eyes, clipping my whip back onto my belt, pulling the bookcase back to reveal the small room beyond.

I'd been prepared for a few magical artefacts and books, maybe even my Mum's diary, but I did not expect a magical laboratory.

There were shelves upon shelves of books embossed with symbols I couldn't read, and the brightly coloured potions that served as book ends filled the room with a dim, eery glow. There was a worktop against one wall with tacked drawings above it; a mess of diagrams, designs of magic circles, and what must've been equations though I couldn't work out what any of them meant.

The worktop was a little cluttered, like someone had left in the middle of working.

A pair of red, winged glasses on top of an open book caught my eye.

I'd never seen Mum wearing glasses.

As I stepped forwards to have a look, a small crystal ball on the worktop flashed gold, and Natsu pulled me back into him, clearly expecting some kind of explosion. But he loosened his grip as we both watched the crystal ball, seeing that it was a kind of video lacrima.

An image of my mother, dressed in one of her favourite pink dresses, was projected out of it.

When she spoke, her voice echoed slightly, as if she was very far away,

"I don't really want to make this. It feels too pessimistic."

I walked forwards, stepping out of Natsu's slackened grip and towards the image of my Mother. She gave a small, sad, sigh.

"If you're watching this Lucy, I'm sorry I never came home. The river of stars will return to the celestial realm when I die, but I trust one of the zodiac has passed it on to you." She let out a breathy laugh. "Of course they've given it to you, how would you've gotten in here?"

She took a deep breath, and took on a sterner tone that made her heart ache slightly.

"You won't find this room until you learn how to use your slayer senses, so I expect you won't see this message for a while. I have a feeling, if I don't come back, your Father will try and seperate you from magic. I hope he hadn't been too hard on you. Whatever he has done is intended only to keep you safe. I hope you know that we both love you, very much. I don't know what's going to happen in the years to come, but I know I'd be proud of you. Aquarius doesn't pick her favourites lightly, and you've always been a bright little star."

Mum smiled and my vision grew blurry. I vaugley registered tears running down my cheeks.

"I wish I was leaving this message just to tell you I love you. But in case all does not go to plan, I need to leave a record of my research. It's too dangerous to write down, but this message can only emerge when you step in this room. I've discovered Acnologia's weakness. He can be stopped Lucy, but you must remove his source of power.

"Celestial and soul magic is very unique, even for dragons. We can absorb power as well as ingesting it, but if cut off from our power source, our magical cores do not recharge like other wizards. You and I cannot regain our magic when sheilded from sun and starlight. Acnologia cannot rebuild his magic away from souls.

"He drains the life force of anyone who isn't a dragon, he can't help it. His attempt at self-imposed exile almost killed him, and fear of death has driven him to absorb innocent people's entire souls. This makes him extremely powerful, but his power is limited to the amount of souls he has consumed. The dragons are going to help me exhaust all his magical energy, it's our only hope of finishing him before he can take more lives.

I heard what sounded like distant crying, and Mum turned her head towards it, speaking more quickly now.

"If you are watching this we failed, but if you are alive it means hope is not lost. You see, where most magic builds up over time to create, celestial and soul magic are centred around destruction through time."

There was the sound of a door opening and the patter of quick footsteps. To my surprise, a blonde child ran into view, clutching Mum's waist and crying into the pink material. Mum reached off to the side and picked up a necklace, the pendent hanging off it heavy and familiar. She hung the necklace bearing Aquarius' key around the neck of what I knew was a nine year old me, though I had no memory of this happening. She kissed the top of my head and held me close, smiling tightly.

"We are heaven's only hope."

The image froze, like someone had paused it, then it seemed to rewind.

After a few seconds it replayed from the beginning.

I didn't know how long Natsu had been holding my hand, but I was grateful for the grip of his fingers as I stared at the replaying message.

I didn't know what to say. I didn't understand a lot of what she had said, but wasn't sure how I was meant to react to a mission from beyond the grave.

"It'll be okay Luce."

Natsu let go of my hand and pulled me into his chest, one hand smoothing my back, the other stroking my hair. I drew my arms around him after a few seconds, feeling like the world had been suspended as I stood there in shock.

After a while seconds Natsu's arms relaxed, but I still held him tightly as the hand in my hair disappeared.

When he let out a grunt I drew back, the sight in front of me making me back up a few steps, my mind reeling.

Gajeel was stood behind Natsu, holding a cloth over my soul mate's mouth and nose, and Natsu's eyes rolled upwards as he passed out.

As Gajeel dropped the cloth instinct seemed to kick in, and I tugged my whip from my belt, flicking it out as Gajeel held up an arm in semi-surrender.

"Easy Bunny girl, this is all part of a plan."

"Why did you...? What kind of...?" My hand hovered over my keys, but I didn't attack, watching as Gajeel lowered Natsu to the ground.

When the iron dragon slayer stood up straight, he raised both his hands in the air, speaking slowly,

"It would've taken too much time to explain, and Salamander can't act all that well. He'll sleep that stuff off in minutes, and when he wakes up he'll be mad as hell. He'll fight to get to you and if I'm going undercover I have to be convincing."

The memory of the note from 'L' came back to me;

_He's on our side. It's all part of a plan._

"I need you to trust me Bunny Girl, but we need to be quick before someone comes looking."

I hesitated, watching as Gajeel pulled a pair of glowing green shackles from a pocket in his coat.

"I need to put these on you. You won't be in any danger, I promise."

I stared at him, flinching at the sound of a crash and a scream downstairs.

Gajeel grimaced at the obvious hesitation on my face.

"You know I would never do anything to put Levy in danger."

I looked at him, at the guilty expression on his face as he held out the magic-restricting cuffs.

I wasn't entirely sure about this, but my gut told me Acnologia and Minerva had gotten one thing right - dragon slayers would do anything to protect their soul mates.

With a deep breath I nodded, and turned around, holding my wrists behind my back.

A cold chill went down my spine as Gajeel locked the glowing green metal around my wrists. The stuffy feeling of not being able to breath easily settled over me, my magic now locked in my skin.

"You okay?" Gajeel asked.

"Yes." I turned around. "What now?"

Gajeel looked at me uncomfortably.

"I don't want to hurt you Bunny Girl, but I can't look like I care about you when I drag you in there."

I grimaced but was reassured by his slightly nervous expression.

"As long as no one else gets hurt, do what you have to do."

Gajeel nodded, looking guilty as he reached up and gently collected up some of my hair in his fist.

I felt the ornamental flowers in my hair shift as he pulled me forwards, muttering,

"You should fight back a little when we get to the stairs."

He pulled me out of the library, walking pretty fast towards the stair case, and when we were almost in sight I pulled back against his grip.

It hurt as he tugged me forwards and I stumbled, tripping as I tried to regain my footing. Gajeel pulled me on roughly then let go before I'd found my feet, leaving me to tumble down the stairs.

I fell down about twenty marble steps, cracking my elbow and landing on my nose halfway down, my keys jangling all the way as I rolled to a stop below the Heartfelia family portrait.

Aware the entrance hall below me was in chaos I awkwardly got to my feet, getting into a fighting stance as I stood on the landing, Gajeel walking down the steps towards me with a nasty grin.

Despite so many people from Fairy Tail being here, the attackers below seemed so powerful we were struggling despite outnumbering them two to one.

I knew things were bad because Erza had her purgatory armour on, and out of the corner of my eye I saw her flying towards me, but she was blasted out of the air by an explosion of bright light.

I aimed a kick at Gajeel as he reached me towards me but he caught my ankle, tugging me off my feet. With him still firmly gripping one leg, I kicked the other up, the heel of my boot just grazing the side of his face as he dropped me.

I fell to the floor but didn't manage to get to my feet again, Gajeel's hand fisting in my hair and half dragging me down the last set of steps.

I aimed another kick at Gajeel's leg half way down but he threw me from him, letting me tumble down the steps as before.

I tucked my head and knees in this time, feeling bruises blooming as I rolled, waiting to hit the floor and roll out into the fight below me. But someone stopped me with their leg as I reached the bottom of the flight, and as I rolled over to face whoever it was, a foot pressed down on my neck.

A purple cloaked man smirked down at me, his boot pressing painfully on my throat, making me choak.

"Nicely done Gajeel." The man said, unconcerned that I couldn't quite breathe. "Let's get going."

"YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" yelled a furious Natsu from the top of the stairs.

My head was pinned in place as I still struggled to draw breath, but I saw the light of Natsu's fire as he jumped from the top of the steps, clearly aiming for the man half strangling me.

Gajeel must've intercepted him because Natsu's kick never made contact, and my head started spinning from lack of air as Gajeel shouted,

"Master take her! I'll catch up!"

I heard Natsu shouting at Gajeel but was too dizzy to work out what he was saying. There was a sudden crack of gold light and the pressure on my throat vanished.

I sucked in a deep breath, coughing as I rolled over, trying to protect myself as what sounded like electricity crackled through the air.

"Sorry rust bucket," a familiar voice shouted, "but my old man ain't going anywhere."

"You've been thrown out of Fairy Tail," I heard the purple cloaked man drawl, "what's this dragon slayer to you?"

"Someone I nearly killed." Laxus said. "Saving her life now might make up for it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter, and may I say thank you so much for all the amazing comments! A reaction like that helped me update way faster then usual :D  
> But enough of my elation and thanks, let's get to your little factoid;
> 
> Sailors wore gold earrings to ensure there was sufficient money to pay for a Christian burial should their dead body be washed up on the shore.
> 
> The more you know :D  
> Thanks for reading!  
> Hope to see ya in the next chapter ^_^  
> M


	19. Raven Tales and Romance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I read back through this story and mother of God are there some spelling/grammatical errors. Thank you if you've managed to read up to this point - I'd love to go back and edit the chapters but I feel like I'd never finish the story :S  
> At the moment I'm aiming for 1 chapter per month - I could go back and edit through the story to make sure it reads better, but I reckon it'd mean I only post every 2 months. Let me know if you guys think I should have fewer updates and pay more attention to editing :)  
> Also, just watched Dragoncry (hence the tiny reference) and it was cool thinking about the lore of this story compared with the island of Stella :D  
> Anywho, hope you guys enjoy this chapter ^_^

I hadn't stopped coughing when there was a rush of wind.

Gentle hands scooped me up and next second I was travelling so fast I couldn't draw breath. As the person carrying me slowed to a stop I began coughing again, white dots obscuring my vision as I was lowered to the ground.

"You're okay," I heard Wendy say as I gasped for breath, her hand gripping my shoulder to stop me from falling over, my hands not being able to help me balance still bound behind my back.

As my vision began to clear I saw that I was in the dining room with Wendy, Droy, the house staff, and Jet, who'd obviously brought me here.

Droy walked behind me, crouching down and undoubtably the reason I felt the floor shifting behind me. I focused on catching my breath and staying still as the marble floor cracked, Droy summoning green shoots through the broken floor.

There was a click and one of the manacles fell off my wrist, Droy's shoots either forming into keys or picking the locks. Another click, and then the clacking of the cuffs falling onto the marble the floor. I was still out of breath, but with my magic back I felt like I could breathe a little easier.

I didn't have much time to enjoy the feeling however because as thunder rumbled in the entrance hall there was a scream of what sounded like pain.

I bolted to my feet, the rush of movement making my head spin, and Wendy held onto my arm to steady me as Jet and Droy ran from the room.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself to follow the boys, but seeing Wendy intending to do the same I caught her arm.

She looked up as I pulled her back, tugging against my grip with a scowl,

"I need to help," she said.

"You can't go out into a big fight like that! You could..." I stopped myself mid-sentence, not wanting to conjure up any examples of how she might get hurt, "...I need you to stay here and protect everyone in this room."

"But Lucy I can—" the sound of an explosion drowned the rest of her words, and letting go of her arm I shouted,

"Stay here, I'll handle it!"

I ran from the room, stopping just outside the door to survey the scene.

Jet and Droy were standing protectively in front of Levy, who was on the ground - breathing but not getting up. She seemed to have been fighting alongside Cana, who was up against a familiar face from Raventail.

The boy who'd come into the Guildhall at the latern festival, the one that'd given me the fake box of cake, was deflecting Cana's explosion cards with explosions of his own. Not only that, despite the boys' best efforts, the goth from Raventail seemed as fast as Jet, and was manipulating plants just like Droy. Though he had more magic types at his disposal, he was fighting three members of Fairy Tail, meaning he was constantly on the defensive.

I searched for someone more in need of help.

Flare's purple faced friend, the boy who's sat behind me in History, was fighting Elfman's beast form. Purple face looked almost as monstrous as Elfman, his flesh bulging in places like spikes were growing beneath his skin. His hands were obscured by magic circles, and he seemed to be controlling a huge clump of thread that looked like it'd come from a tapestry down the hall.

The thread had mummified what I thought might be Lisanna, as there were claws slicing through the bindings while the boys fought, but the cocoon of thread seemed to be knitting itself back together as fast as she could cut it.

Natsu was still fighting Gajeel on the stairs, both boys in dragon force. They seemed almost evenly matched, though Natsu's fury seemed to be making Gajeel fight defensively.

Bright gold lightening cracked around Laxus, making his fluffy cloak flutter as if in a strong wind. Erza fought at his side, both of them struggling to overpower Raven Tail's purple cloaked guild master.

Mira, Gray, and Juvia were fighting a man who looked more like a scarecrow than a human. His black cloak was draped over an angular body, and there was a puppet perched on his shoulder. It jabbered away like a parrot as Mira, Gray, and Juvia kept up a relentless barrage of attacks.

None of them managed to land a hit, because their magic seemed to dissapate every time it got close. None of them seemed hurt, more frustrated, so I turned my attention to the fight near the open front doors.

Laki was fighting one on one with Flare. Flaming hair was whipping around the two of them, Laki summoning wood to deflect the attacks but each of her creations burst into flame on contact with Flare's hair. Her reactions seemed to be slowing too, clearly summoning so much in quick succession was taking its toll on her magic reserves.

While Flare was distracted I pulled my whip from my belt. I let magic flow through my hand and water sprung from the end of the whip. I didn't use it to fight, instead I raised the stream of water to my neck, pulling the necklace bearing Aquarius' key into the water.

"Open, gate of the water bearer!"

There was a clanging of a doorbell, and before Aquarius could complain about it not being a Wednesday I pointed at Flare,

"I need you to put out her hair!"

Much to my surprise Aquarius didn't tell me off. The water pouring out of her vase curled under her, helping her float above the ground

"Get my boyfriend," she said stoically.

"Your boyfriend?"

"The Scorpion key!" Aquarius snapped. "Summon him!"

I pulled my ring of keys out, unfamiliar with the feeling of Scorpio's key, and having to search for it by sight instead. Under Aquarius' impatient glaring I grasped the key whose end was shaped like a lobster claw.

"Open, gate of the Scorpion!"

There was the sound of a doorbell but instead of coloured spirit smoke, a dust cloud rose next to Aquarius.

Scorpio was quite a sight to behold. Where Aquarius looked like a fairy tale mermaid, Scorpio looked like a fairy tale monster. Heavily muscled he wore a collar of sharp metal plates around his neck. A massive, metallic scorpion tail curled over his back, the end of which seemed to be a gun instead of a stinger.

Aquarius gestured at Flare with one hand, the other still holding her vase, and Scorpio nodded, putting an arm around his girlfriend's waist and shouting,

"Now!"

Aquarius threw out her free hand and the water beneath her soared towards Flare, Scorpio's arm the only thing now holding her off the floor. A split second later there was a sound like a cannon, and Scorpio's tail began spraying sand like a high pressured hose.

The two attacks combined in mid-air, creating a muddy slush that clung to Flare's hair like glue.

She screamed, withdrawing her hair closer to her, and as Aquarius clenched her hand into a fist, the wet sand on her hair was sucked around her entire body. Her arms appeared to be trapped to her sides, her hair flopping as it tried to free itself of the sand, and Laki used her opening.

Summoning a wooden mallet (which I hoped wasn't solid for Flare's sake) Laki knocked the hair mage on the head like a wackamole. Flare sagged in her muddy prison, hopefully out cold and not dead.

With Laki safe, I whipped around as Elfman let out a roar, but saw with relief that he was delivering a final blow. The purple faced boy was sent flying through the air. He smacked into the wall near his scarecrow guildmate, and fell to the floor with a weak groan.

Lisanna, finally free of her tapestry cocoon, jumped at the goth kid Cana, Jet, and Droy were fighting.

She swept his legs out from underneath him, rolling out of the way on Cana's command, a card flying towards the Raven Tail mage once Lisanna got clear. The explosion hit just as he got to his feet, blasting him into the air, and Cana's well timed explosion card flying above him smacked him back against the floor like a fly swatter.

While Jet and Droy carried Levy to saftey, Lisanna, Cana, and Elfman rushed to fight the scarecrow, who shouted something I couldn't make out to his guild master. Apparently six on one was too much when he was already fighting the she-devil and company.

At first it seemed as if the guildmaster hadn't heard Scarecrow's puppet, but then I saw the purple cloaked man's edges blur, and Erza's sword went straight through his middrift.

Erza pulled her sword back in alarm, the guildmaster flickering for a second then vanishing. At first I thought it was some kind of teleport magic, but when I spotted him beneath the Heartfelia family portrait at the top of the stairs he didn't seem to show any sign of being injured by Erza's blade.

He threw out his arms like a conductor finishing a symphony. There was a second of silence, and then, chaos.

What sounded like one hundred birds taking flight echoed around the room, though my eyes showed me instead of rustling feathers the sound came from scraps of paper. Every vase, tapestry, painting, and even fragments of rubble had turned into paper shapes that took to the air.

They weren't just any paper shapes either. They were identical to the paper chain man that I'd seen floating next to Gajeel at the School festival - the one he'd spoken to from behind a tree. Now in their thousands, the tiny paper chain men rushed around the room like they'd been caught up in a storm.

I screwed up my eyes, covering my face as the paper rushed at Fairy Tail members like a targeted sand storm, slicing paper cuts into any skin not covered by clothing. I felt a jolt in my chest telling me Aquarius and Scorpio had been beaten back to the celestial realm. I couldn't blame them; a few paper cuts, painful sure, but ten every second was pushing it. All I could hear was the other's cries of pain, Natsu's fire roaring, and the suffocating rush of paper.

_Focus Lucy, Aquarius will protect you._

For the third time since she'd died, Mum's voice echoed in my head. The familiarity ignited a fire in my chest that seemed to cut through the pain slicing into my skin.

Determined to help the people who'd travelled miles across Fiore to come to my rescue, I let a flood of emotions fill my chest. The hurt, the relief, the feeling of family, everything I associated with Fairy Tail burned in my chest and I felt warmth wash over my like I'd jumped in a hot bath.

Eyes still screwed up tight, I felt that golden glitter scattering down my arms. As it climbed up my neck and onto my cheeks I felt it hardening, the golden scales protecting me from sharp paper edges as I reached up to grasp Aquarius' key.

"Open, gate of Aquaruis" I shouted.

Spirit smoke streamed around me, transforming my winter clothes. Kept warm by the golden scales on my skin, I didn't feel at all exposed now earing a bikini. My arms were now covered in long flowing matieral, a sarong hanging around my waist, and my boots had been replaced with sandals. The ornamental flowers in my hair had gone, the tight bun it'd been pulled into this morning released, two small sections drawn up into ponytails on either side of my head.

With a surge of confidence I flung my arms out into the storm of paper, willing water to come to my aid, and the sound of the floor cracking cut through the rustling paper storm.

I heard snapping pipes, the power of the estate's plumbing at my command as water exploded through the cracks in the floor. Opening my eyes to a slit I saw that the water was soaking the flying paper men, making them rip when they tried to move. Scraps of paper were flopping uselessly to the floor in great clumps, and the number of paper chain men was halved in seconds.

I felt a pulse inside my chest telling me I was pushing my limits, but I didn't feel dizzy so I swept my arms through the air, urging the water to attack the rest.

I felt the water rise to my call, then halt, something very wrong happening inside my chest.

A wave of cold rushed over me, and all the water I'd called up suddenly crashed to the floor. The scales on my skin shrank painfully, like they were pulling themselves back under my skin.

I felt all the strength in me evaporating, my bikini outfit morphing back into my jumper, skirt and boots. Before I could even try to steady myself my knees gave way and I fell to the floor with a splash, my jumper soaking up the water covering the cracked marble floor.

I blinked, hard, determined not to pass out, vaguely aware of a flash of fire above me. It was familiar fire.

I felt nauseous, though I didn't think I had the energy to throw up.

The core in my chest felt broken, like someone had ripped the ball of golden light out of me, squeezed as much magic out of it as they could, then shoved the empty husk back inside.

I shivered, though not because of my sodden clothes. I couldn't feel any heat from Natsu's fire at all. His hands, usually warm, felt like cold rock as he lifted my upper half out of the water.

This wasn't like the times I'd used too much magic. Something was wrong.

I heard yelling and splashing, then something rippled through the air. Erza was shouting orders.

My wet fringe was brushed out of my eyes, and someone was slapping my cheek.

"Lucy?! Luce wake up!"

It was only because it was Natsu's voice that I found it in me to open my eyes.

I focused on the pink haired blur above me, heard him shout over his shoulder.

"Wendy!"

"Raven Tail," I said weakly, worried that Wendy might get hurt if she came out in the middle of a fight.

Natsu looked back at me,

"It's okay, they've gone. You're okay."

"Cold." I said, feeling delirious as the sounds around me blurred together.

I saw a blue head of hair that must've been Wendy, and what looked like Spetto came into view, but holding on became too much, and everything went black.

* * *

I felt a breeze brush over my face. The rest of me seemed to be covered by a blanket.

I was comfortable, lying on cushions, but I seemed to be swinging slightly, like I was in a hammock.

I opened my eyes.

I was in the garden, lying on the swinging bench my Mother frequented. It was under a Gazebo that my Father had built, the ceiling made out of blue glass panels. The sunlight streaming through them used to make her look magical.

The cold afternoon sun was shining through the ceiling of the gazebo, the blue light peirced only by the orange fire that'd been laid at the centre of the gazebo. I didn't know how, but I knew it was Natsu's.

"Miss Lucy?"

It was only at the sound of her voice that I noticed Spetto, leaning forwards in a seat next to me.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

I pressed a hand to my chest under the blankets. My core still felt bruised, and though the golden light was more of a golden glow, the intense feeling of cold was gone.

I fell back against the cushions in relief, looking up at the glass ceiling with a slight frown.

Now that I knew about magic, I saw that the blue glass panneling the roof was glowing, more like lacrima than tinted glass.

"That's magic..." I said quietly, looking back at Spetto who smiled gently at me.

"Your Father brought them for your Mother, for when she used too much magical energy. They're made out of a crystal called stallaneum. It absorbs starlight, and readmits it when celestial magic is passed through it. Your soul mate activated it with some of the magic you'd given him."

Spetto smiled, raising a hand in greeting to someone I couldn't see. I knew who it was without turning around. The golden glow in my chest had suddenly brightened.

"He's a bit louder than I imagined," Spetto said, "more like his Mother I suppose."

"You knew Natsu's Mum?"

"I knew Igneel." Spetto said smiling sadly. "He was far quieter, more like your Natsu's older brother. Igneel always said his wife's personality was far more suited to fire magic than he was."

I knew Natsu would be able to hear all of this, and I didn't ask Spetto to elaborate on anything, thinking Natsu would want the change to question her about more specific things.

When he ran into view however, he didn't even look at Spetto, kneeling down beside me with an exasperated look on his face,

"Will you stop using so much magic you make yourself pass out?!"

"I didn't use all my magic!" I protested, though Natsu looked completely unconvinced.

"She telling the truth," Spetto said, "she nearly had all her magic pulled out of her."

"What with one of those artefact thingys?" Natsu asked, clearly thinking about Raven Tail's previous attempt to extract my magic.

"No." Spetto said. "That cold she felt, it's chill that comes with Acnologia's method of extracting of magic. Raventail must be in possession of a book of Zeref."

"Book..." Natsu said dumbly, seemingly frozen at the mention of his brother.

Spetto glanced at me, clearly unsure why Natsu didn't already know this.

"Zeref's demons can be trapped within books, the pages of which hold symbols to keep the demon dormant. For the demon's cage to remain locked, the book must stay closed. Even opening the cover weakens the runes enough for the demon to break free of its pages."

Natsu looked down at his knees, clearly thinking.

There were several, very tense seconds of silence, and Spetto seemed to think it best if she were to leave.

"I'll go and tell your friends you're okay," she said, standing up and heading back to the house.

Natsu was still on his knees.

With a great deal of effort I sat up, shaking a little as my muscles protested the simple act of keeping me upright.

Resting my back against the swinging seat, I saw with some relief Natsu get up, sinking down next to me, looking more resigned than shocked.

I put a hand on his knee, checing Spetto had dissapeared back inside the house, leaving us alone in the garden.

"Do you think I have a book?" Natsu asked, looking up at me.

I didn't know.

"If you do, no one would know what it was," I reassured him, "there's barely anyone at the guild who knows about your—"

"—warped soul." Natsu finished, looking back at his knees. "If I do, Zeref has to be alive. He'd have to had made the book."

To my great surprise, he brushed his arm across his eyes, sniffing and turning his face away from me to look across the garden.

"It'll be okay Natsu." I placed my soul marked hand over his, squeezing slightly.

Natsu looked down at the pink tattoo.

"I know." He said quietly. "I just miss him ya know? And hearing about him connected with all this demon stuff, it's not...he's not..."

I gripped his hand firmly,

"If I can fix you, I can fix him."

Natsu sighed letting his head lean into mine. I leaned my head down on his shoulder, smoothing my thumb across his hand softly.

"Two more keys," I said, "then I can crack open Acnologia's cage and get him and your Dad back."

"You can't open Nirvana," Natsu said sadly.

"Well, I'll have to get this passing out after dragon force under control first. But eventually, I don't think I have a choice."

Natsu lifted his head off mine and shot me a stern expression. I knew he thought I was being reckless. I smiled at him reassuringly.

"I've been thinking about something Virgo said to me, when she told me I was the Celestial dragon slayer. She said magic wanted to flourish." I looked down at the tattoo on my right hand. "I feel like, with our parents being soul mates, and now us, maybe magic wants us to have another go. Maybe it wants us to win."

It felt odd to voice these thoughts. Wierder still to be so optamisitic about fighting an eighteen ton soul sucking monster. Yet, just as it'd been when Natsu tried to push me away, in the place of his usual over confidence and optimism, the fire in me seemed to burn brighter.

Natsu let out a silent snort of laughter, looking at me as if I'd suggested beating Acnologia with the power of love.

"Didn't think you were such a great believer in destiny. Anything else you see in the future?"

"Me kicking your ass if you don't quit smirking at me."

"Oh God no! Not a Lucy kick, I don't stand a chance!"

I scowled at him, removing my hand from his and shuffling away. Natsu laughed, wrapping both of his arms around me and pulled me into him. Though it was a feeble attempt with my energy levels, I tried to squirm out of his grip, and Natsu imitated one of the many dark guild members we'd come up against.

"You cannot escape me Heartfelia. Resist and you will suffer."

"Oh I'm sooooo scared!"

"Very well," Natsu said in his villain voice, and began tickling me.

I was almost out of breath from trying to get out of his grip, so it only took a few seconds for me to call mercy.

Natsu released me, shifting along on the swinging seat then pulling me sideways, letting my head fall into his lap.

Still catching my breath I scowled up at him. Natsu set the seat swinging,

"Better hope dark guilds don't try and bring you in by tickling instead of fighting. You ain't gonna last very long."

"Oh ha ha."

Natsu shushed me, pulling the blanket up over my shoulders and putting on his villainous voice again.

"Rest now Heartfelia, your destiny awaits."

* * *

I couldn't remember falling asleep, but when I awoke the sky was darker. The sound of low voices accompanied the crackling of the fire, and the ache in my chest was almost completely a mixture of embarrassment and glee, I realised there was a warm hand resting on my shoulder beneath the blanket.

Thanks to the ceiling of stellaneum, my magical core felt about half full, and my heart soared as I opened my eyes; seeing everyone sat around the fire, chatting, roasting marshmellows, and wrapped up in blankets.

Laxus was sitting against one of the gazebo's pillars, huddled next to Mira Jane. To my surprise, they were both swaddled in Laxus' fluffy cloak. Niether of them were talking, just staring into the fire, Mira smiling as she lent her head on Laxus' huge shoulder.

Levy sat absorbed in a book, her eyes a little red but otherwise okay. Lissanna was sat next to her, sharing her fluffy blanket, and chatting with Jet, Droy and Elfman.

Gray seemed to have given most of his clothes to Juvia to keep warm, being unaffected by the freezing air. Wendy was lying down with her eyes closed, one blanket beneath her, one around her; judging by everyone's clean skin, I guessed she was worn out from healing everyone.

The sight of four empty bottles next to Cana gave me a sense of satisfaction - she'd clearly broken into my Father's expensive, vintage wine collection. She sat drinking her fifth bottle, gossiping with Laki, the pair of them giggling every few sentences.

The most surprising pair of all were the two red heads sat closest to the fire.

I expected Flare Corona to be wearing the magic restraining cuffs Droy had gotten me out of, but she was sharing her blanket with Erza, who seemed to be comforting the hair mage. Not only that, no one from Fairy Tail the slightest bit concerned about Flare being in their midst.

"You okay?" Natsu murmured from above me.

I sat up as by way of an answer, rubbing sleepy dust out of my eyes, everyone looking up as I gave signs of being awake.

Levy got up and walked over, sitting down as I took my feet off the cushions.

"You okay Lu?"

"I'm fine. How're you?"

Up close, her red rimmed eyes looked worse, the colour bringing out the red paper cuts on her cheek and constrasting with a purple bruise on her arm. Her blue hair was far more puffy than usual, standing on end like a distressed cat.

"I'm fine," she said.

"Liar."

Levy gave me a watery smile.

"I'm still kind of shocked, but it was pretty sudden. I've read a lot about dark guilds. When we first joined Fairy Tail, I was trying to figure out why they wanted you so badly. And I know he's been undercover before, but I can't help thinking..."

"That he'll get found out?" I finished, wanting to slap myself in the face as I said it.

Levy's jaw tightened and she looked down at her knees. I tried desperately to think of something comforting to say, but to my surprise, Natsu came to the rescue.

"Don't worry about metal face." He said, smiling at Levy. "He's not gonna get found out when he's only got four expressions."

"Five," Levy corrected him.

"Doesn't count if you're the only person who's seen it," Natsu said, clearly trying to make her feel special.

Levy only shrugged.

"Look," Natsu said bracingly, "dragon slayer soul mates aren't normal. If anything happens you'll know. I bet he can feel how sad you are right now. Yesterday, before Loke came to get us, I got these twinges in my gut, and I felt really angry for no reason. It wasn't anything to do with me, it was just cause Lucy was feeling super strongly about stuff. I know you're not both dragon slayers, so I guess it might be different, but you're still connected with one. That's gotta be worth something."

Levy shrunk into thought at Natsu's words, and while she was distracted I fumbled for my pouch of keys.

Glad someone had repacked them inside, my fingers found Plue's key, and I summoned the little dog spirit. He appeared in a puff of spirit smoke on top of Levy's book, and held out his arms as if asking Levy for a hug.

He always made me feel better when I was sad, and though Levy made no move to hug Plue, the little spirit sat back in her lap and patted her leg comfortingly. Levy seemed surprised as Plue sat back against her, and slowly put one arm around his fluffy midriff.

She let out a long breath, then looked back at me with a slightly stronger smile.

"I've been thinking about how your magic got sucked out of you. Flare's told us that Raventail is the dark guild in charge of the tower of heaven. The demon Obra, the one that took your magic, he seems to be helping them control it."

"A demon of bras?" Natsu asked. I wasn't sure whether he was being his usual, slow self or whether he was trying to cheer her up, but either way, Levy's smile grew a little wider.

"Before they vanished Raven Tail's guildmaster called him Obra."

"What d'you mean before they vanished?" I asked.

"Well, I don't exactly know. I wasn't conscious, but Jet and Droy said you took down these paper men in dragon force. Then this Obra demon...well you know how Natsu sucks in fire to fuel his magic? Jet said it looked like Obra was sucking golden light out of the air, and your dragon force just kind of disappeared."

"How come he didn't just suck all the magic out of me?"

"Droy said Obra kind of choked once your clothes went back to normal. It looked like he was gonna throw up, and Raven Tail's guildmaster rushed over to him. Gajeel grabbed that purple faced boy and the goth, and then they all just vanished."

"What, you mean they teleported?"

"No."

All three of us looked up as Laxus spoke, the group growing quiet as he looked over at Levy, Natsu, and I.

"My Father uses illusion magic. He masked their escape while Salamander carried Lucy out here. I guess he didn't want to risk loosing his greatest weapon just to gain a dead celestial wizard."

"So you just let them walk outta here?!" Natsu shot at Laxus.

"Well I was more concerned your girlfriend had died...would've made the whole plan kind of pointless if you didn't manage to save her."

"What plan?" Levy asked.

"The plan the magic council's special ops team came up with to destroy the tower of heaven. I went after my old man after Fairy Tail chucked me out. Found some rune knights scouting out places he'd been sighted. They were gonna send one of their knights inside, but I knew he'd be mince meat in minutes, so I recommended Gajeel. The guy looks the part and he's got experience being undercover.

"Gajeel made contact with Raven Tail saying he wanted to help them open Nirvana. Told em he'd give em the Celestial dragon slayer in exchange for the iron dragon's safety once the cage was open. He convinced them that it'd be easier to take kidnap Lucy at home rather than Magnolia - less mages around to interfer.

"It's lucky her spirit hauled all of your up here, cause that didn't go to plan. Originally it was gonna be Gajeel and my old man kidnapping you. I'd swoop in, Gajeel would let you kick his ass, then I'd kick my old man to the curb. Didn't plan on so many of Raven Tail showing up."

"Why did Gajeel need to go undercover?" Levy asked sharply. "If you could beat your Father that easily, why couldn't you just help the council destroy the tower of heaven?"

Flare spoke up before Laxus had the chance to respond.

"It's not just a building." She said, her gravelly voice echoing in the still air. "The tower of heaven's got layers of secrets. No one without inside information could storm it. It's why so many of us got trapped there after the war."

"What kind of secrets?" Levy asked Flare challengingly.

"I was a prisoner, not a part of Raven Tail," she snapped, "I never saw anything inside the tower apart from my cellmates."

Erza put a comforting arm around Flare, glaring at Levy as if she'd been insensitive.

Why Erza was so protective over someone who tried to kill me once and attacked Fairy Tail twice, I couldn't understand.

Natsu turned his head, and following his gaze I saw Spetto walking towards us in the darkness.

Whether she felt the tense atmosphere inside the Gazebo or whether she wanted to give us some space, she stopped half way across the lawn, calling out,

"Dinner is ready Miss Lucy!"

"Dinner? I said, frowning up at Natsu. "We've just had lunch?"

"Lunch was six hours ago Luce, you fell asleep remember?"

Gray chuckled,

"So did you Natsu. Juvia and I came out to check on Lucy and found you muttering about how good Virgo's clothes look on —"

"—What would you know about wearing clothes!" Natsu spat, standing up so suddenly he set the seat swinging. "For all I know Juvia's only sitting on your lap to make sure you're decent in front of company!"

Gray stood up, thankfully wearing pants though hooking his thumbs under their elastic as if he was gonna pull them down.

"Enough." Erza snapped. "If either of you streak across or destroy the gardens of a private mansion, I will personally make sure you never see the light of day again. Mostly because you'll be working for the rest of your lives to pay off property damage and therapy fees."

With what looked like a great deal of effort Natsu turned on his heel and stomped away across the garden, Gray taking the trousers Juvia handed him.

Levy and I shared a grin, both imagining what my Father might say if security told him they'd chased a streaker across the Heartfelia estate.

* * *

The dining room table was spread with more dishes than I'd ever seen. The house staff had served the main course at the same time as the puddings, giving the impression it was a slumberparty rather than a sit down dinner. When I asked Spetto about the usually uncivilised arrangement, she said it was just so Plue could eat something (apparently Mum's nikora had loved neopolitan ice cream) but I felt there was something more to it. It was like she was pulling out all the stops for a final celebration.

Levy was still subdued as she sat down next to me, and as Lisanna sat on her other side, the two of us exchanged grimaces of pity. She seemed to cheer up a bit as talk around us grew rowdier, and though she didn't eat much, she seemed to enjoy watching Plue getting adorably excited over the choices of ice cream.

Wendy piled more food than Natsu onto her plate, and ate it even faster. I was glad I'd held her back from the fight. I dread to think what she'd feel like if she fought _and_ had to heal everyone after.

After Plue's fourth helping of ice cream, he lent back against Levy with the doughy eyed look Happy often wore after eating too much fish. As Levy withdrew her arm from around his bulging midrift, she asked Lisanna about Mira and Laxus.

I'd never have guessed the two of them were soul mates. The concept seemed as unlikely as Laxus daintily cutting up his meal and eating it in small bites; the reality tending more towards Fairy Tail's classic approach of eating as much as you could possibly fit in your mouth at one time.

Apparently Laxus had asked her to hide her soul mark, fearing his Father would come after Mira, in order to get to him.

They'd stayed in painfully close company all these years, Laxus spending most of his time in his room or on missions to avoid temptation. Mira was something of an icon at Sorcerer Weekly, making money by modelling for them instead of taking magical missions, though now I knew it wasn't because she preferred modelling - it was a chance to make money while staying out of harms way.

"Natsu ran out carrying you," Lisanna explained, "but while everyone was brushing themselves off, the two of them just stood at opposite ends of the room, staring at each other like in a movie. I never knew Mira could look starry eyed in her she-devil form, it was so wierd. So she practically floats over to him, Laxus says 'you look hot', and next second they're making out."

Levy let out an exhausted laugh, looking over at the couple. I on the other hand, stared at Lisanna in disbelief,

"I thought Laxus said he was worried I was dying?! He lets his evil Dad go, spots his soul mate, and all thoughts of his master plan go up in smoke cause he's into horny girls!?"

Lisanna giggled,

"You underestimate what seven years of sexual tension does to people."

"Yeah," Levy grinned at me, "if that was you and Natsu, I wouldn't be surprised if your clothes just went up in flames."

Lisanna actually laughed and I rolled my eyes. It was difficult not to let my jaw drop however, as Natsu's ex girlfriend said casually,

"To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if that happened soon anyway. I mean you've known each other three months, but you're barely dancing around each other anymore."

I gaped at her, part of me was happy she was onboard with the 'NaLu' ship, but mostly just amazed how forward she was being about someone she'd loved dearly. Lisanna seemed to know what I was thinking.

"Don't get me wrong - hurt him around and I'll scratch your eyes out," she briefly transformed her nails into lethal looking claws, "but if you don't get a move on and make it official, Mira's going to take it upon herself to lock you both in a small cupboard for seven eternities in heaven."

I glanced quickly over at Natsu to check he wasn't listening. Thankfully he was busy yelling at Gray.

"Say that just a bit louder," Levy muttered, "I reckon we can see her face burst into flame without Natsu's magic."

If Levy hadn't lost her soul mate to the dark side mere hours ago, I'd glare at her, but honestly it was nice to see her smiling genuinely.

* * *

After dinner, Spetto asked me to help make up the last of the guest beds. If the desert with dinner wasn't a red flag, asking me to help with house work confirmed something was up.

After helping to carry sheets into the last of the guest bedrooms, Spetto took them from me and said very solemnly that I should leave in the morning.

I was worried about leaving the house staff here to take the brunt of my Father's rage, but Spetto insisted that the damage to the house would be proof enough that I needed to return to Fairy Tail. I'd be far safer with them in Magnolia, and honestly I didn't really want to be here when my Father came home to find millions of Jewel worth of art work turned into wet paper chains.

I knew she was right about me being safer, still the thought of leaving on Christmas Eve was disappointing. Christmas at Fairy Tail was sure to be amazing, but I'd never spent the holidays away from home, and more importantly away from the house staff.

Spetto gave me a long hug and when she drew back she smiled sadly at my necklace.

"The water maiden isn't enough to protect you anymore, you need your friends."

The way Spetto looked up at me was different as she stepped back, and though I knew she was worried, I also knew there was nothing either of us could do to put off the enevitability of my situation. More had changed in the last three months than in the last seven years. Telling me it would be okay wasn't enough anymore.

I helped Spetto make the last bed, then the both of us returned to Fairy Tail, finding that Cana had roped her guildmates and the house staff into a game of chardes. She was as drunk as I'd ever seen her, having moved on to my Father's whisky collection, and I was glad we were playing in the undamaged dining hall; even she would probably trip over the mess in the entrance hall.

After an hour long game, Gray and Natsu ended up fighting, and Erza stopped the game before too much magic could be used in their fist fight. One of the newer members of house staff, clearly awed by their magic, asked if she could see a little more.

Fairy Tail wasn't exactly against showing off, especially when there was the whiff of competition in the air, so most of them stood up and demonstrated their magic.

This extra magic, after the fighting earlier, drew yawns from everyone that made Spetto announce it was time for bed. To my great surprise, everyone heeded her, trudging off for baths to ease their after-battle aches and pains.

I took a long bath in my own ensuite, using my expensive products and lotions, wondering if this was the last time I'd ever relax in this bath.

I had only brought a few pairs of normal clothes, not pajamas, so I changed into one my stupidly frilly night gowns after drying off. Resisting the urge to collapse into bed, I sat down in front of my mirror, letting my hair down from its bun and taking out the ornamental flowers that'd been woven into it this morning.

The door opened as I was extracting the last few, and in the mirror I saw Natsu poke his head inside.

"You okay?" I asked.

He came in looking grumpy, closing the door behind him, and walking over to my bed. Falling face down in my bed sheets, his voice muffled by the material, he let out a groan,

"Gray's getting on my nerves."

"You and Gray? Fighting? Since when did you guys disagree on anything?"

In the mirror I saw Natsu roll over and sit up, scowling at me,

"What are you doing anyway? Brushing your hair 100 times like a real lady?"

I snorted, taking the last flower out of my hair and standing up.

"Speaking of Ladies, what are you doing up here? I made up a bed downstairs, just for you and Virgo."

Natsu frowned for a second, then rolled his eyes as he caught up.

"I do not have a thing for your stupid spirit."

I smirked, sitting down on the bed next to him,

"Why were you talking about her in your sleep then?"

"None of your business," Natsu said, crossing his arms.

"Don't be embarrassed Natsu, I can help you out if you want. Tell you what she likes."

"I do not like your thousand year old, masochistic spirit," Natsu protested, but I ignored him,

"I could get you an outfit, maybe a butler get up to match hers?"

"Oh you'd like that wouldn't you!"

My stomach did a small back flip.

Sure, he was probably assuming I was thinking about how stupid he'd look in such an outfit - I mean ages ago I told him he wouldn't get a job at the Heartfelia estate. My mind on the other hand was suddenly filled with the memory of how he looked in his suit at Era's winter ball.

"So," Natsu said, and I jumped to attention, "do I have to wear frilly pyjamas to sleep here? Got a night cap I can borrow?"

I rolled my eyes, getting up and pulling back the covers,

"I mean you could borrow one of my night dresses but I think I look better in them."

I turned the lights out on Natsu's outraged expression,

"Excuse you! I'd look amazing in one of those. The lace suits me, I'm a very delicate dragon slayer!"

I couldn't help laughing at this as I got into bed. Grinning at Natsu, I threw the covers back on the other side of the bed, gesturing for him to get in.

"You actually letting me sleep in your bed?" He asked.

"Well you'd probably sleep walk in here anyway. I can call Virgo if you think that'll keep you in the bed downstairs."

Natsu made a disgruntled sound and got into bed next to me, pulling the covers over him and scowling at the ceiling.

I closed my eyes, relaxing into the soft mattress, feeling content at Natsu sulking.

"Luce," he said in an innocent voice, "have you got any candles?"

"Why?" I asked, not opening my eyes.

"I dunno...kinda seems like you'd have candles around a shrine like that."

I opened my eyes.

My stomach dropped through the floor as my eyes travelled up his raised arm, his index finger pointing at the dozen, shirtless pictures of himself that I'd stuck to the roof of my bed.

"That's not what it looks like," I said hurridly, "it's just part of a plan!"

Natsu chuckled,

"Uh huh...that'd be the same plan that made you decorate your walls?"

"Yes."

"Riiiight. I understand completely."

"No you don't!"

I sat up, appalled to see Natsu lying casually on his side, propped up on one elbow. He was grinning at me with those stupid dimples in his stupid cheeks.

"You're going on about me Virgo," he said slowly, "because you want to cover up that you're a fan girl."

"I'm a WHAT?!"

"A fangirl - a big fan of this," he waved his hand up and down his body, then looked up at the topless pictures.

"I am NOT a fangirl."

Natsu sat up now, leaning forwards so that our faces were very, very close.

"So you don't wanna kiss me again?"

"I kissed you to save your life!" I spluttered, wanting to look away but feeling it'd be too suspicious to break eye contact.

"Would you kiss me again?"

"To save your life? Sure I'd take one for the team."

"Team NaLu?"

I shoved Natsu back onto the bed, refusing to admit he was right, especially with that look on his face.

I knew he could sense my heart thumping wildly but I maintained a sour expression as he sat up. He lent forwards into my personal space again and stayed there just grinning at me.

"You're insufferable," I said tartly.

"And yet you want to kiss me."

I raised my eyebrows,

"Why Natsu, you make it sound like you WANT me to kiss you."

"Maybe..."

Both of us seemed just as surprised at this answer. Natsu seemed to have said it without thinking. But he didn't draw back from me. He glanced at my lips, then looked me in the eye again. It was wierd to see him nervous.

"I really like you Luce."

"Good," I said faintly.

Before I could even process what I was doing, a rush of either magic or adrenaline made me lean forwards and I pressed my lips against his.

Natsu's hand came up to cradle the back of my neck and

"LUCY ARE YOU ALR—"

I pulled back from Natsu sharply, fear flooding my senses as I looked around to see my bedroom door open.

Illuminated by the light from the hallway, Jude Heartfelia stood frozen in my bedroom, his face struggling to exhibit both outright shock and almighty anger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUHHH!  
> On that heartfelt note, have a chapterly fact;
> 
> In old english the word 'heart' had multiple meanings; breast, soul, spirit, will, desire, courage, mind and intellect = hence the phrase to 'learn by heart'.
> 
> Thanks so much to everyone who comments - you guys make my day ^_^  
> Hope to see you in the next chapter :D  
> M


	20. The Mysteries of Memory

"I knew this would happen," my Father said darkly. He switched on my bedroom light marched over to Natsu's side of the bed.

Natsu quickly got to his feet, but my Father walked straight past him, snatching up the pouch of gate keys I'd left on my bedside table.

He yanked them free of the pouch, holding up the ring of eight gold keys and five silver ones up, freezing as they glinted under my bedroom light. Again, anger struggled to rise above his shock, but he managed it after a moment, clenching the ring of keys in his fist and lowering them to his side.

His free hand fastened around Natsu's throat.

"Convinced her to find most of my wife's keys I see." He snarled, Natsu surprisingly calm as he tightened his grip. "What do you plan to do when she's got them all Dragneel?"

Natsu didn't reply.

He stoically gripped my Father's outstretched arm, clenching his forearm until the grip on his neck slackened. Forcefully, but just as calmly, he forced my Father back a step.

Before either could make another move I vaulted over the bed, snatching up the whip that'd lain beside my keys as my Father took another step towards Natsu. I shoved him away, standing between the two of them, not wanting to use my whip with the rage I felt bubbling up inside me.

"How dare you speak to my soul mate like that," I said quietly.

My Father seemed to deliberate on how to reply, opening and closing his mouth a few times only to turn on his heel and stalk towards the door. He stopped in the doorway, not looking at me.

"He's a Dragneel, and a felon." My Father said, still clutching my ring of gate keys in his fist. "I won't let him get you killed like his Father killed my Layla."

Before he could walk out the door I channelled magic through my whip and threw it forwards. The coil of gold and stream of water soared through the air, hooking around the ring of my gate keys, and I yanked them out of his grip.

He turned around as they left his hand, watching me pull them back towards me and catch them in the air. He started striding back to me,

"Lucy you don't understand—"

"—No, you don't understand!"

As he made a grab for my keys I side stepped him easily, feeling a rush of magical adrenaline that jump started my dragon force. Golden, glittering light cascaded down my arms, shining through my thin night dress, and despite the light overhead my scales cast a golden glow that had my Father frozen to the spot.

"I know more then you do about the war Mum died for," I stepped in front of Natsu, "and I know my soul mate even better. If you want to know what the real threat is, I'll be happy to explain it to you. But whatever you choose, I'll be leaving for Fairy Tail tomorrow, and I'm going back to fight the war Mum couldn't finish."

My Father stared at me, something like horror in his eyes. After a moment he composed himself, bowing his head in affirmation, and leaving the room quickly.

Natsu put a hand on my shoulder, attempting to walk past me, clearly intending to try and sort my Father out. Sliding the ring of gate keys over my wrist I grabbed his arm, pulling him back, the light of my dragon force shining on his red soul mark.

"I'll handle it. If I explain things he's more likely to stay out of the way."

Natsu looked as if he wanted to disagree, but studying the golden scales on my cheeks and the determined look in my eyes, he folded.

Before he could say anything, or I could back out of this, I walked across the cold room. I was barefoot and not wearing much, but felt warm and protected thanks to the golden scales on my skin. I was glad for their protection. This fight had been a long time coming, but it still felt better going into it wearing armour.

* * *

The door to my Father's office was ajar when I reached it, and I didn't bother to knock. Inside I found my Father sat behind his desk, his glasses off and his face in his hands. It'd been seven years since I'd seen him look this vulnerable.

He glanced up as I closed the door behind me, and I saw his eyes take in the scales, my ring of keys, and the whip still held loosely in my hand.

He let out a long, sad sigh, and looked down at his desk.

"You look more like your Mother than ever."

Suspicious of his resigned demeanor, I walked across the room, clutching my whip a little more tightly as I stood before him.

"I'm going back to Fairy Tail tomorrow." I said, watching his face carefully for a reaction. "I'm sorry about the state of the house. Raven Tail shouldn't come back to attack the estate once they know I'm in Magnolia."

There was a pause while my Father drank in this information. After a moment he looked up.

"You're sorry about the house?"

He was frowning at me. Was this a trick question?

"The damages." I clarified. "I think some artwork got destroyed and—"

"—Lucy I don't care about the house."

I stared at him.

What did he care about then?

My Father withdrew a small wallet from inside his jacket and opened it. From behind one of his credit cards, he pulled out a card shaped slice of lacrima. It was flashing red.

"I was at the border when Spetto activated the security lacrima. I came back to find the entrance hall destroyed, blood on the floor and no one in sight. I thought they'd taken you."

I didn't soften my stance. If he did care about me, there was bound to be a reason besides my general well-being.

"You were worried someone had taken me. Really? It's not like you haven't sent a dark guild after me before."

"What are you talking about?"

"The thugs you hired to bring me back home," I said flatly, "the dark guild grunts that tried to kidnap me in Magnolia. They used my last name, so I knew you'd sent them. It was just after I refused to come back from the academy and start home schooling again."

My Father looked rattled.

"I'd never sent any dark guilds after you. They're who I've been trying to hide you from. Why do you think I've been so distant all these years? I've been trying to cut your ties here and marry you out of the country. There's barely any magic outside of Fiore, so without my name, you'd be safe."

"But..." I stared at him, unable to see how that logic would work, "...but you saw I was a member of Fairy Tail. I went through your computer. You really think I'd cut ties with them so easily?"

My Father sighed.

"I only found out about Fairy Tail a few days ago. I was at a buisness meeting with one my associates and he said that he saw you at the magic council's ball. He told me to be careful because he saw Igneel's son using a knife to deface your Mother's mural. When I found out the boy was also your soul mate..."

He trailed off, but I still had questions.

"That still doesn't explain why you thought marrying me off would work?"

"I...I thought...for your safety...I was going to ask the council to erase your memories of magic. It worked relatively well seven years ago."

I felt the scales on my skin growing hotter.

"You erased my memory?!"

"I tried." He said, running a hand through his thinning hair. "After your Mother died, the council offered to do it. I thought you'd be safer without magic. But whatever they did failed to erase all traces of magic from your memory. They told me it was probably because you were a dragon slayer. You still recalled traces of magic in this house, too much to be explained by the imagination of a young girl. I thought if you were somewhere without a trace of magic, your memories wouldn't come back as eaisly."

"You erased my memory because it made me easier to lock away?!"

My Father sank in his seat as the golden light glowed brighter and my hair began fluttering despite the lack of wind.

He seemed scared. It would've been satisfying if I hadn't been so shocked.

"I thought I was keeping true to your Mother's memory." He said defensively. "She was the one who insisted on home schooling you at the estate. We did everything we could to keep you out of the magical world. You were in enough danger being an heiress, let alone a dragon slayer. And a dragon slayer from one of the two most powerful dragons? It was bad enough Layla exposed herself to that life. I— if I knew then what I knew now—"

"—And what do you know now!?"

"That...that you're happier in her world than out of it." The fear in my Father's voice faded to be replaced by remourse. "I searched through blogs, forums, and websites for signs that someone was using you. Any sign that you were in danger. But all I found were pictures of you and your guild. Of you looking happier than I'd seen you in years. But then I hear that your soul mate is a Dragneel, and knowing he defaced that mural, I assumed—"

"—Natsu was cutting one of Mum's gate keys out of the wall. The council kept it after she died, clearly thinking I wouldn't come back for it without any memory of magic!"

"But Igneel's son is as reckless as he was, I couldn't take the chance that—"

"—Do you know what Mum did before she fought Acnologia?" I shouted over him.

My Father fell silent.

"Acnologia destroyed Fairy Tail in order to separate the dragons from their kids. He went for Igneel's kids first. Mum realised and went after Acnologia, but she was too late. He'd warped Zeref's soul to use him against the dragons, made him attack his younger brother, and left Natsu dying in the street. Mum healed him, saved his life, but used too much magic in the process. When she went to help the dragons, she didn't have enough power left to defeat Acnologia. She locked him away with the zodiac gate keys and what was left of her life."

I held up the ring of gate keys in my hand.

"Mum's dying act saved my soul mate _and_ the world, but she's not gone. Her magic binds the keys to Acnologia's cage, anchored in the golden gate keys. She's spoken to me before, helped me when I didn't know what to do. And for your information, her saving my 'reckless' soul mate is the only reason I'm stood here talking to you. Before he even knew me, he was patrolling the streets for Fairy Tail. He fought off the dark mages who tried to kidnap me in Magnolia. I wouldn't be here without Natsu. And he wouldn't be here without Mum."

I was breathing heavily as I stopped speaking. My Father's eyes were brimming with tears.

He stood up slowly, averting his eyes as he walked erectly over to a portrait of my Mother. He pulled it back to access the safe hidden behind the painting, and took a small box from inside it.

I clutched my whip tightly, half convinced he was about to use some kind of magical artefact he knew would keep me here.

"If that is the case," my Father said, holding the box out to me, "you should take her with you. When you go back to Magnolia, I mean. She'll keep you safe."

I took the box from him cautiously, lifting the lid to see something gold resting on a velvet cushion.

"He was my favourite spirit," my Father said, smiling sadly at Capricorn's gate key, "an outstanding gentleman."

I looked up at him uncertainly.

Not only had he just mentioned me leaving, but he was just going to give me another gate key?

"I can't protect you." He said quietly. "I see now, that all I've tried to do has only made things worse. I hope Capricorn can do a better job."

He took a step back, clasping his hands in front of him glumly.

"Thank you," I said, still not comfortable with this new side to my Father. Though thinking about it, this side of him might not be new, he might've just erased it from my memory.

He gazed at me with great concern, his voice a little broken,

"I feel sorry is rather inadequate at this stage. But I will feel very sorry indeed if I don't...well, I want to tell you what I told your Mother every time she went back to Fairy Tail. Please be careful. Stars are powerful and beautiful but they don't just shine. They burn. I shan't bother you in Magnolia, but I know Spetto would like to keep in contact with you. I'd certainly like to know that your light hasn't yet gone out."

There was a sightly awkward pause where we both looked at each other.

I felt the magic in my chest flare suddenly, and with no emotions to trigger it I realised it wasn't to do with my feelings.

Sure enough, Natsu burst through the door. He marched across the room, standing between my Father and I and shouting,

"Listen pal, Lucy is coming back with me and the rest of Fairy Tail! We're gonna look after her and—"

"—Natsu," I said, grasping his arm, but he shook me off.

"I don't care what fancy ass plans you've got! She's not getting married, and she's not doing anything she doesn't want to do anymore!"

"Natsu!" I shouted, but he didn't seem to hear me.

"She's got a family who cares about her now! Don't even think of trying to buy out her landlady, or getting some smuck to bring her back, cause you're not just gonna have to answer to the strongest guild in Fiore. You're gonna have to answer to me, and I'm not—"

"—Natsu!" I stepped in front of him, finally catching his attention. "He wants me to go back to Fairy Tail!"

He stared down at me in amazement, the idea seeming to take time to clunk into place.

After a few seconds, he crossed his arms and nodded approvingly,

"Good...I'm glad. Your old man's a smart guy and...I mean..." Natsu glanced at my Father and nodded again, stumbling on his words. "Well I'll...I can hear Gray calling...those good ol' dragon slayer senses...I'll leave you guys to...chat..."

He walked stiffly out of the room and closed the door carefully.

I looked back at my Father, unsure if that outburst would change his opinion of my soul mate. He kept his eyes on the door, his eyebrows raised,

"...He certainly seems...fiery."

I grimaced, unsure what to say.

Thankfully, I was saved from saying anything as there was the clanging of a magical doorbell. A puff of spirit smoke unfurled beside me and Loke stepped out of it, dressed in his Heartfelia staff uniform.

"Mr Heartfelia," Loke bowed his head respectfully, "it's been a while. I just popped in to check that Miss Lucy is doing alright."

Loke glanced at me, clearly trying to ask without words if I was okay. I gave him a non-committal grimace, and Loke's face hardened a little as he turned back to my Father.

"A pleasure to see you again Mr Lionheart. I'd like to thank you for your service thus far in protecting my daughter. I hope you plan on keeping it up."

Loke looked from my Father, to me, clearly surprised at this sudden approval of magic.

"It's been a pleasure Sir. I'll be happy to reassure you of any details that worry you about Miss Lucy's return."

"That would be most welcome." My Father said. "Please, have a seat. Lucy you should get some sleep before your journey tomorrow."

"Yes Father," I said, putting the lid back on the box holding Capricorn's key.

Loke smiled at me encouragingly, and I tried to smile back as I left him and my Father to talk.

* * *

Back in my bedroom I found the light switched off, and Natsu pacing back and forth in the dark.

He stopped in the middle of the room as I entered, waiting as I closed the door behind me.

"What happened to letting me handle it?" I asked, walking over to him steadily.

"I feel what you feel remember? I felt your anger turn into shock or something and I thought he was forcing you to stay!"

"D'you not think I can handle myself?"

"Luce, you took out all those paper men things in about ten seconds, I know you can handle yourself. But your dumb ass cat spirit told us he might have magic you don't know about, something that's really powerful against celestial stuff. He could've been mind controlling you into staying or..I dunno?"

I smiled coldly,

"Well, he did have my memory erased."

"He what?!" Natsu's fists were suddenly engulfed with fire."I'm gonna—"

"—No you're not. It didn't work properly and it was over seven years ago."

Natsu stared at me.

"You say that like it makes it okay?!"

"It's not." I said. "It's pretty messed up. But he was pretty messed up at the time because of Mum...Talking of which, look what he gave me."

I held out the box containing Capricorn's key to Natsu, who took it with his hands still on fire. Before he could put his flames out, the box and its satin interior burnt to ashes, leaving the golden key in Natsu's palm.

"Your Dad had a key?" Natsu asked, getting rid of the flames around his hands.

"I guess it's what Mum left him. He got Capricorn, I got Aquarius."

I tried to take the key from his palm, but forgot it had just been on fire. I yelped, dropping it onto the floor and wringing my singed fingers. Sucking on my sore fingers I glared at Natsu.

"What're you looking at me for?" He protested. "My fire can't burn you."

"What d'you mean your fire can't burn me? It's fire!"

"Luigi, we're soul mates. Our magic can't hurt each other."

"Says who?"

"Says my Dad, and pretty much every mage ever."

"How am I supposed to know that?! No one told me about magical soul mate rules! Not that I remember anyway."

I tried to shake this thought off, and before Natsu could comment on it again I muttered,

"Your fire must've heated up the metal. Bet the metal can still burn me. Why'd you have to light it on fire anyway?"

"I didn't do it on purpose! I was mad and I forgot my hands were on fire."

I stared at him.

"You forgot you were on fire?!"

"Well when you're this hot 24/7, it can slip ya mind!"

I rolled my eyes, not able to argue against Natsu's 'hotness', and walked over to my side of the bed. Despositing my keys and whip on my bedside table, I looked up to see Natsu grinning smugly at me.

"I see you're not arguing. Did you use that when arguing my case?"

"What d'ya mean?"

Natsu strolled cockily over to his side of the bed.

"Well...I doubt your Dad just accepted this 'felon' would be able to protect you. Guys always have to proove their more than their soul marks to a girl's parents."

I got under the covers, scowling at him as he sank down on the bed,

"Riiight...so how would you being hot help protect me?"

"Luce, I work with fire. Heat is pretty important."

"You just said you were hot 24/7, why would heat be a problem?"

"So you do think I'm hot?"

I rolled over and tugged the blankets up to my chin,

"Compared with me, sure."

I felt the bed dip as Natsu got under the covers too.

"Well you could always add it to your argument when he sees that tomorrow morning."

I rolled over. He was pointed at the collection of topless Natsu photos on the ceiling of my fourposter.

"He won't find them till we leave," I said, rolling back over to hide my face in the sheets.

"He would if I pointed them out."

I grabbed my whip from my bedside table and shook it threateningly at Natsu,

"I will use this on you."

Natsu cackled,

"In your bedroom? That'll really make your Dad's head explode."

I rolled over again, replacingmy whip on my bedside table and trying to ignore the burning in my stomach.

The covers on top of me were tugged over to Natsu's side.

"What are you doing?" I asked, turning back over to see Natsu cocooning himself in the sheets. "We've just established you don't get cold."

"I can't sleep without covers over me," Natsu complained,

"Don't be such a baby!" I said, tugging my covers back.

"Aw come on Luce, please?!"

He tried to pull the covers back.

"Natsu I'm cold!"

"I can keep you warm!"

My grip on the covers slipped at these words. He rolled over onto his back, looking up at the ceiling, deliberatly using a casual voice,

"I mean, y'know...I can if you want."

I bit my lip.

For some reason, cuddling with Natsu felt more nerve wracking than taking the plunge and kissing him.

I shuffled closer to him, for some reason convinced he was suddenly going to tell me he was joking.

But Natsu turned his head as I shifted closer, grinning nervously and lifting one of his arms up onto the pillows.

I lay my head on his chest, very aware of my heart racing but glad to hear his beating just as fast. His arm came around my back, pulling me slightly closer.

I felt awkward just keeping my hands by my sides, so I reached my hand out for his, intertwining our fingers together on his stomach.

Neither of us said anything. I don't know whether I had the courage to do anything but clutch his hand and lie there.

Cuddling with Natsu wiped my head clean of any thoughts or reminiscence about what had happened today.

Despite being excited to go home the next day, being able to spend Christmas eve and day with Fairy Tail, I didn't have any trouble relaxing into Natsu. I was too comfortable to reminisce on the victories of today, and my nerves seemed to slip away the longer we lay there. It was almost like magic how easily I fell asleep.

* * *

A grating noise woke me up the next morning. Opening my eyes, I saw the room lit dimly as morning light glowed through closed curtains.

Natsu had gotten up and dressed, and sitting up I saw him frantically searching around the grammerphone in the corner of my room. The needle hadn't been set on the record right, and the vinyl was being scratched beyond repair while natsu searched for the off switch.

I pushed myself out of bed and walked over to him. I lifted the needle, stopping the scratching noise, and took the ruined record off the turn table.

"I was trying to see how it worked," Natsu said apolagetically.

"I'll show you," I said, putting the broken record aside and pulling out another one, setting it down on the turntable.

Making sure the vinyl was turning I carefully dropped the needle, and waltzing music began playing out the ornate golden horn on top.

"Not really my kind of music," Natsu said, wrinkling his nose slightly.

I rolled my eyes.

"It's not my kind either. My Father got me this to practice waltzing for his fundraiser balls."

Natsu smirked, clearly trying not to laugh at another aspect of high society.

"But of course," he said in a falsely posh voice, "One must learn to waltz adequately."

"Doing it properly isn't as easy as it looks!"

Natsu grinned at this challenge and bowed, holding out his hand to me.

Feeling a little flustered, I took his hand, letting him intertwine our fingers. I put my other hand on his shoulder, and he put his free hand on my waist.

My faith suddenly vanished as I caught sight of Natsu's grin and, with the worst technique I'd ever seen, he launched us across the room in a kind of tango.

I laughed as he tipped himself backwards, leaving me to hold him up. When I pulled him up again, I gripped his hand tightly, stopping him from moving off again.

"Nice try Dorkneel but you're doing it wrong."

"Am not!"

"Apart from using the wrong style, your head isn't held high enough."

Natsu tilted his head back as far as it would go, and I giggled as he stared at the ceiling.

"I said higher, not up."

"Right!" He assumed a snooty expression with his nose in the air. "Better?"

"It's not awful. You might attend a Heartfelia function yet..." I gripped his hand tighter. "Now, do what I do."

Natsu looked down to watch my feet as I took a step back, one to the right, then brought my feet together.

He followed me as I slowly did the same with my left foot. I made sure to dance at half the speed to the music echoing from the grammophone, and Natsu seemed to pick it up well enough to start dancing at normal speed.

"Not bad," I said as Natsu managed to dance without looking down at his feet.

He grinned at me smugly,

"Not bad? I'm better than you already Luigi."

I let go of his shoulder and stepped back, holding our hands up high as I twirled on the spot, completely confusing him as to what he should be doing.

I stepped back to him, grinning at his bewildered expression,

"Really? Cause you look lost."

Natsu scowled at me,

"Cut me some slack, I only know one kind of dance."

"If it's the tango, you definately don't." I said, smirking as we continued to waltz.

My smirk faded in surprise as Natsu halted, letting go of my hand, and pulling me towards him, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"I'm pretty sure I've got this down," he said, swaying slowly on the spot, "it hasn't got too many steps to remember."

I smiled, not sure how to sway evenly to the beat of waltz music but following Natsu's lead, I linked my hands behind the scarf around his neck. We were kind of beat, and after all my dance lessons, swaying to this felt wrong.

I drew back just enough to look up at him,

"You can't really do this to waltz music." Natsu rolled his eyes.

" _You_ can't really do this to waltz music. I can do it just fine."

I tilted my head back in exasperation, and my heart lurched as I saw what was strung from the chandelier above me.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Natsu look up too.

Both of us stopped swaying, but I didn't dare look away from the mistle toe.

"Spetto must've put that there last night," I said, my heart lurching as I felt Natsu looking at me.

"Better move before anything happens," he said.

I didn't move. As I looked down at Natsu I saw his smile widen

He leaned down, and I closed my eyes, my heart fluttering as—

"—Miss Lucy, breakfast is— oh my goodness!"

Natsu let go of me quickly, and I turned around to see Spetto in the doorway, flapping her hands nervously.

"Terribly sorry," she said, "I'll…breakfast is ready when you're finished— I mean if you want it!"

She hurriedly closed the door, and I felt nerves begin to set in as I looked back at Natsu. After a second of standing there awkwardly, Natsu's stomach gurgled into the silence.

He grinned awkwardly, and with a small laugh I led the way downstairs.

* * *

Breakfast was as lively as dinner the night before, though it felt a little heavier than yesterday. This was only because Natsu and I were sat beside one another. Having only managed several half kisses, an unconcious one, and a sort of confession, there was now a kind of tension between us.

Spetto had ordered cars to take us back to the train station, and everyone took what little they'd brought with them outside to wait.

Once the cars arrived we all packed our things into their trunks, but as I turned around after stowing my bag away, I caught sight of a figure in the garden. He was standing beside the statue that marked my Mother's grave.

"You okay Lu?" Levy asked from behind me.

"Yeah," I said, smiling briefly at her, "I'll just be a minute."

Leaving her by the car, I walked across the frosty grass towards my Father.

Despite the freezing cold, he was only wearing his suit and a pair of leather gloves.

He looked around as I reached him and smiled at me, raising his eyebrows slightly. I guess it'd been a long time since he'd seen me wear anything other than long puffy dresses. I looked up at the statue of my Mother, feeling like I was talking to both of them as I said,

"We're off in a minute."

My Father withdrew something from a pocket, and I looked around as he held out a small jewellery box to me.

"I found this last night in the safe, I gave them to your Mother on our last wedding anniversary. It was meant to be your birthday present but...well...happy belated birthday."

I took the box from him.

Inside, were a pair of tiny, silver hoop earrings. Strung on the hoop was a heart shaped crystal - stellaneum.

I didn't know what to say, so I put them on.

"They suit you," he said.

I looked up at my Father and managed a sort of smile. He'd done so much wrong in the last seven years. I couldn't just go back to the cuddly relationship we'd had when Mum was alive. Still, at least I know that he actually cares.

He patted me on the shoulder.

"Look after yourself Lucy."

"You too," I said.

With one last smile he turned and walked away from me, heading towards the gazebo in the garden.

With an odd feeling in my stomach, I too turned away, walking back towards the line of cars.

* * *

There weren't many trains running on Christmas eve, and Fairy Tail had to wait on the platform for almost an hour.

I was shivering after fifteen minutes, my coat not keeping out enough of the cold.

Upon noticing this, Natsu took off his scarf and wrapped it round my neck. My breath puffed out in a mist in front of me, but he looked completely comfortable in just his vest, trousers and sandals. It made me cold just looking at him

"How are you cold if your magic runs on starlight Luigi? Aren't stars meant to be on fire?"

"Stars are way cooler than fire," I said defensively.

"If they were that great, you wouldn't be cold."

"I'm not cold!"

"Okay, then give me the scarf back."

"No." I averted my eyes. "It's warm."

"Admit it," Natsu said smugly, "fire magic is the best."

Before I could protest Gray had swung an ice covered fist into Natsu's stomach, catching him by surprise.

"Clearly not as good as ice though!" Gray cackled, watching Natsu tumble over backwards.

To no one's surprise, Natsu leapt on Gray, and Juvia cheered her soul mate on as they both rolled across the platform. The boys stopped wrestling only when they rolled to a stop at Erza's feet.

Needless to say, she decided to separate them for the train journey.

I got into a compartment with Natsu, Levy, and Erza. Natsu seemed happy to be apart from Gray until the train started moving.

After five minutes, he was lying down across the empty seats, resting his head on my lap and groaning.

Thankfully, I only had to content with Erza's knowing looks, because Levy was asleep, her head resting on her bag as she curled up on the spare seats.

I'd told Levy about Mum's research room yesterday. I knew she'd probably struggle sleep and hoped research might help the sleepless hours pass a little quicker. Unfortunately my plan had worked too well, and she'd stayed up reading until breakfast.

She'd found out how to use the red winged glasses, noting as I did that they weren't prescription lenses. With a bit of investigating she found that they were magical lenses, allowing the wearer to read incredibly fast. She'd read through all of the books in Mum's magical library, deciding which ones would be most useful to Fairy Tail. We couldn't lug the whole library back to the guild, especially not with all the drawings, the message lacrima, and a few magical instruments.

After half an hour of knowing looks, I attempted to stave them off by updating Erza about what my Father had told me.

Surprisingly, she wasn't all that taken aback that my Father had tried to wipe my memory. In fact, I got the impression she would've done the same thing in his shoes. Apparently it was incredibly common with non-magical citizens. The council relied on it to keep magic thriving only in Fiore.

She did however find it worrying that my Father hadn't hired a dark guild to kidnap me.

"But how did they know who you are?" She asked. "I thought the Academy kept its records on lock down."

"It does. My Father hired private investigators though. Maybe they got the information from them?"

Erza's forehead furrowed in thought.

"Could you check with your Father which company he used?" She asked. "If they had contact with a dark guild, the council might be able to track them."

I nodded hopefully.

"Sure. I'll ring Spetto as soon as we get off the train."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Christmas Eve :D  
> Thanks so much for all the comments, it really helps me out ^_^  
> I'll try and get the Christmas chapter up for tommrow, crossed fingers I get some sleep as well tonight :P  
> But now, the chapterly factoid, with a Christmas gift wrapped twist;
> 
> When an alpacka gives birth it's called an 'unpacking'.
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
> Hope to see you in reviews :D  
> M


	21. Soulmates on the Stairs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is over a month late, and certainly not being posted on Christmas day, but you're not a fanfic writer unless you screw up self-appointed deadlines eheh :S Took extra time editing this one cause its a biggie - hope ya like :)

Resolving to ring Spetto when I was back at The Guildhall, I helped Natsu off the train. He looked a little green, but unlike Wendy, he refused to sit down until he felt better (mostly because Gray said her thought it would 'do him good').

I carried our bags, Natsu's scarf still around my neck, and my soul mate marching ahead with purpose.

He managed to walk alongside the rest of the guild, but only for a few streets - half way between the station and Fairy Tail he was throwing up into a trash can.

I stayed back with him, glad that Lisanna was keeping Levy company, and keeping her occupied by discussing my Mother's research. They were both carrying books from her concealed room, all the tomes Erza hadn't managed to squish into her ridiculous cart of luggage.

When we finally got to The Guildhall, I found that they'd put up decorations in my absence. Everyone was already sat down, bags thrown here and there, and the excited chatter told me our fight with Raven Tail was being retold.

The thunder legion were sat right at the back of the pub, happy to be back with Laxus, who himself looked unnaturally smiley despite the tinsel scarf wrapped around his neck. His eyes followed Mira around the room as she put Santa hats on random guildmates, and judging by their smiles, his team didn't seem bothered by his lack of attention.

Before I could turn my head, something fluffy collided with my face, the force of it making overbalance with luggage still swung over both shoulders.

I felt Natsu's steadying hand, and regained by footing before pulling the exceed off of me, holding him at arms length.

Happy looked almost cute with such wide eyes.

"You missed me that much huh?" I asked.

"I didn't miss you!" Happy protested, putting his ears back. "Natsu kept whining about picking up your emotions when you were away. Now you're back he can focus on me again!"

Happy spread his wings, and I let go of him as he flew into Natsu's chest, purring as Natsu put his arms around his cat.

"You sure that's all Happy?" Natsu asked. "Cause you were practically crying when I said you couldn't help bring Lucy back."

"I only wanted to come cause I'm part of team Natsu! You were all gonna be together without me!"

"Come on buddy, ya know there's no team Natsu without you."

"FOR THE LAST TIME" Gray shouted from across the Guildhall, "WE ARE NOT TEAM NATSU!"

"YOU GOT A BETTER IDEA ICE QUEEN?" Natsu yelled back. As Gray got up from his seat, Natsu held Happy out to me. "Luigi, hold my cat."

To my surprise, Happy jumped out of Natsu's arms, his claws latching onto the scarf around my neck - clearly not trusting me to catch him.

Natsu vaulted over the table, lighting his fists on fire, and a few guildmates cheered them on. It could've been Natsu's magic, him getting so riled up I could feel the warmth in my stomach, but I had a feeling it was more a sense of relief. It was nice, comforting even, to be back in the presence of friendly violence and drinking.

"Go get him Natsu!" Happy yelled, punching the air with his paw.

I put him down on the nearest table top, thinking he'd want to fly over to watch, but as I deposited Natsu's bag on the floor Happy asked,

"What're you doing?"

"Going to my apartment. I need to unpack my things - I'll be back in the morning."

"You can't go home now! Movie night's in a few hours! It's a Fairy Tail tradition - you've gotta stay for it!"

I smiled at these words and Happy seemed to think he'd been to affectionate, because he scowled threateningly then leapt off the table.

I put my bag down next to Natsu's, laid his scarf over the top, and decided I'd stay until the evening. I wasn't that eager to get back to a cold apartment on Christmas eve anyway.

Deciding to check on Levy, I headed for the door to the library, but looking around at the decorations I saw that she was instead sat at a table. She was chatting with Yukino, sat at the end of a table where the rest of Sabertooth were in the middle of a card game.

Rufus tipped his red zorro hat to me as I sat down next to Levy, and I smiled at him as I noticed he'd exchanged its huge pink feather for holly and jinglebells. Even Dobengal looked festive, though the santa hat looked completely out of place on top of his blank ninja attire.

"Levy's just been telling me about your Mother's research," Yukino said.

"I thought it might help," Levy explained, "Yukino's been researching celestial magic a lot longer than I have, so she might see things I didn't."

The two continued their conversation, and it didn't take long for me to realise I how little I understood about magic. I spoke only to answer questions on my abilities, trying my best to keep up with what they were discussing.

I understood most of what they said about why dragon slayers get travel sick.

Yukino thought it was a symptom of not being able to connect with their parents magic. As dragon magic is unlike any magic on Earth, dragon slayer's magic might be interlinked with their parent's. If slayer's magical core couldn't maintain a stable connection with their dragon parents' magic, the slayer's cores might might grow unstable.

It would explain why I didn't get travel sick. My Mum's magic was always with me in my keys, every other dragon being trapped in Nirvana. Levy thought that, because Nirvana was a celestial machine, that might mean it was located in the celestial world. Apparently time moves slower there than it does on Earth. So if it difficult for the slayer's magic to maintain a connection into world running slower than ours, then putting them on a fast moving vehicle in a fast moving world was overkill. The girls suggested their connection (and magical cores) could become so unstable that it makes them feel sick.

"But if time there moves slower," Levy said, "does that mean Acnologia hasn't had seven full years to try and break free of Nirvana?"

Yukino nodded,

"If Nirvana is up there, the cage has been locked for almost two and a half years in that time frame. I don't know how long it would take to break out while fighting the rest of the dragons."

I felt my stomach drop at this. Yukino made it sound like Acnologia could break out tommrow. If he did break the cage, would it affect the zodiac keys? We hadn't even found all of them, and even if we did, could Acnologia be locked away again? I don't know whether all of Fairy Tail could defeat the most powerful dragon to ever exist - I certainly couldn't if he broke out tommrow.

 _Don't think like that_ I told myself, reaching for my keys for comfort.

Rembering the new silver spirits I'd found at home, I pulled the ring gate keys and put them on the table.

"Do you recognise any of these?" I asked, pushing my keys towards Yukino.

Yukino seemed to give herself a little shake. It looked like I wasn't the only one having misgivings about fighting Acnologia. She pulled the keys towards her, sorting through to find the new ones.

"This one is for the clock constellation," she said, tapping the grandfather clock shaped fob, "I think he's a protection spirit."

She found the harp key next.

"This one is for the constellation of the Lyre. I believe she plays music if summoned."

She frowned down at the key with a dog bone engraving on its end.

"I think this one is the chisel? I'm not sure...but," her eyes lit up as she found the cross shaped key, "...this is the constellation of the southern cross. I tried to look for him back when I was at Lamia scale - he's a kind of celestial encyclopedia."

I pulled my keys back across the table, and removed not just the cross key, but the chisel and Horologium too. I couldn't bring myself to part with Lyra, but I confidently pushed the three silver keys across the table towards Yukino.

"You have these."

Yukino stared at me.

"Lucy...I can't—"

"—Yes you can. I have my zodiac spirits, and I think you'd get more use out of them than I would. I'd feel better knowing you had more keys in your arsenal."

"B-but your contracts?"

I picked up the cross key and said firmly,

"Open, gate of the Southern Cross!"

There was a puff of spirit smoke at the end of the table, immidiately followed by heavy coughing. A hand emerged from the smoke, wafting it away, revealing a very old looking spirit. His head was, true to form, a metal cross, though he also had arms and legs, both of which were crossed as he floated in mid-air.

"Miss Lucy, how-ho-h—" the spirit gave a long yawn "—nice to see you. I am Crux..."

Crux smacked his cheek as if trying to keep himself awake.

"Hi," I said a little lamely, "um, I was just wondering. Do you know how to transfer contracted spirits...to a specific celestial mage?"

Crux bowed his head in what I first thought was a nod, but then he started snoring.

Cross shaped clouds of air blossomed from his nose, and I looked over at Yukino, wondering if he'd actually fallen asleep or if this was normal.

Before Yukino could do more than shrug in confusion, Crux gave a start and sat up straight again.

"Yes...transferral." He gave another yawn, and it was very hard not to immitate him. "Yes...simply hold the keys in the desired mage's hand, and vow to give up ownership. Channelling a little magic would help I th-thi—" he let out another yawn, "—think."

"Thanks Crux," I swept his key through the air, Levy stifling a yawn beside me.

Yukino looked incredibly guilty as I picked up the other two silver keys and held them out to her.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Positive." I said.

Yukino smiled, clearly trying to surpress excitement as she laid her hand on top of the keys in my palm.

I took a deep breath, and imagined some of the golden light in my chest flowing up towards her hand. The keys beneath Yukino's fingers began to glow, their silver light shining and merging with the my gold magic.

"I hereby revoke my claim on the contracts for the southern cross, the chisel, and the clock," I said firmly, "hoping they find solice in service to Yukino Agria."

The keys suddenly went cold, and as I stopped chanelling my magic the silver glow died.

Yukino lifted her hand, looking between me and the three keys in my palm.

"...Did it work?" She asked faintly.

"Give them a go," I suggested.

Yukino hestitated for a second, then took the three keys from me. Holding one up in the air, and saying,

"Open, gate of the chisel!"

The flash of spirit smoke above the table made the rest of Sabertooth look round, all of us staring up at the 'chisel' that began to emerge.

It was more like a robot than a building tool, a metal sphere with a halo floating above it. It turned in the air, apparently looking around with the small green disk at its centre.

"Greetings." It said, sounding like a robot from Wall-E'. "I am Caelum...Request. Where is Yukino Agria?"

"...Here," Yukino said nervously.

Caelum swivelled to face Yukino more properly, and let out a happy sucession of bleeps.

"Affirmative. Does Miss Yukino desire to make a contract?"

"Um...yes please."

"Affirmative." Caelum bobbed up and down in the air, seemingly happy with this answer. "My services are available seven days a week during working hours. Do you accept these terms?"

"Yes."

"Affirmative." The robot chirped several times as if processing. "Caelum is happy to be of service. How may I assist Miss Yukino today?"

"Could...could you tell me the extent of your abilities?"

Caelum bleeped reassuringly,

"I have several forms, each containing seperate mechanisms. Does Miss Yukino wish me to display each of these forms?"

"Um...if that's okay?"

"Affirmative. My primary ability is projecting magical beams of energy, the power and size of which depend on my current form. Warning; each form requires twice as much magical energy than the last. Do you wish to proceed?"

"Yes." Yukino said.

Caelum suddenly glowed bright white, its metalic body unfolding and elongating into a floating sword.

Suddenly glowing bright white again, the robot began rearranging itself. When Caelum's white light faded he'd finished assembling into what looked like a large, drone-based machine gun. There was a small shriek from someone in the Guildhall as Caelum's reloading guns clicked and whirred.

Before people could turn and get a good look at this form however, there was a flash of white light, and the robot's body seemed to shatter. It divided into at least fifty floating daggers, hanging above our table like deadly iciciles.

The Guildhall had grown quiet as each part of Caelum glowed white again, everyone watching as he transformed into his final form. At first glance I saw it was a metal spider the size of a car, its many legs crashing down on the table top, but as the light faded fully I saw that its body was actually just an armoured machine gun.

One more flash of white, and Caelum shrank back to its cute and spherical form, happy and docile as it bobbed up and down in the air. The robot's cheerful voice seemed very loud in the quiet Guildhall.

"Can I be of further service Miss Yukino?"

"N-no thank you Caelum," Yukino said, a little red with so many eyes drawn to our table.

The robot beeped happily again,

"I hope my services have been adequate. If you do not wish to lodge a complaint, I will wait to be called upon again."

The robot hovered in the air for a moment longer, but when Yukino didn't say anything, it gave another beep and vanished in a puff of spirit smoke.

Muttering broke out around us as Yukino stared down at the key in her hand. It was almost comical, knowing such a sweet person held the key to a massive war machine.

Sting was staring at his girlfriend in awe,

"That robot had bigger guns than me."

A few people laughed, and talk began to bubble up again.

The red exceed Lector swooped down, skidding a little as he landed on our table.

"Was that thing yours Yukino?" He asked excitedly.

"Umhmm." She murmered, still staring at the key in shock.

Lector punched the air with a paw,

"Man, Sabertooth rules!"

Sting grinned at his cat,

"You know it buddy. Two dragon slayers, two exceeds, a mimic, a ninja, and a badass celestial mage. We'll be the strongest guild in no time!"

"Keep dreaming Pal!" Natsu shouted, throwing Gray off him and shaking his fist threateningly at Sabertooth.

Unfortunately, Natsu's momentary patriotism gave Gray an opening to punch him in the face.

Natsu tumbled backwards over a table but rallied quickly, smoking at the mouth.

"You asked for it stripper!" He yelled, jumping up onto the table. "This fire dragon's iron fist is going right up your—" Erza's reprimanding shout cut Natsu off, and both boys dropped out of their fighting stances.

"How many times have I told you two not to fight on the furniture!"

Erza stormed up to the boys, who stood rooted to the spot as something gold glowed into existence in her hand.

For a moment, I thought she'd summoned a weapon, but instead she thrust out a large piece of clothing. I would never have guessed Erza kept a 'getting along shirt' in her requip inventory, but I would've bet Jewel on the fact that Natsu and Gray wouldn't both put it on without complaint.

Each stood in the joint shirt, only one arm at their disposal, and I can only assume a combination of Erza's authority and some kind of bet kept the boys from destroying it, as the laughter broke out amongst the Guild.

* * *

It was the busiest Christmas eve I'd ever had.

Levy and Yukino retired to the library after lunch, and I was glad to hear Makarov had arranged for Levy to stay at Fairy Tail over the holidays. Gajeel no longer being here meant no one was around to keep an eye on the academy, and with Levy worrying so much I was glad she'd be surrounded by friends over Christmas.

Mira and Lisanna were busy preparing a large lunch for the next day, so I helped out by washing up any tandards and trays I could find.

On one of my rounds collecting glasses from tables, I saw Jellal arrive, but he didn't stay to chat. He headed up the the infirmary, no doubt to question Flare.

Natsu and Gray managed to convince Erza it would be in the Christmas spirit to let them take off their conjoining top. Sting and Rogue had challenged them to a competition deciding who had the strongest Guildmates, and suffice to say Natsu and Gray took it very seriously. To my surprise, she agreed, though I think it was mostly so they'd leave her alone; she seemed to want to join Jellal and Flare up in the infirmary, no doubt to learn more about the tower of heaven.

The result was some afternoon entertainment for the guild, who watched the boys arm wrestle, play hangman, and even see who could hold their breath for the longest. Elfman made sure to yell about how 'manly' they were being every so often, at which point Jet and Droy would groan and order a round of shots. They were both hugging each other merrily by the time Mira had finished preperations for the Christmas meal tommrow.

Tired but glad to have been of help, I left the clean kitchen a quarter of an hour before movie night was meant to start.

As I walked out into the Guildhall Natsu ran up to me looking gleefully triumphant.

"Gray totally flopped in the last four sets of press ups, but Fairy Tail still won. No thanks to me."

Natsu flexed his arm proudly but I wrinkled my nose at the smell of sweat,

"You need a shower." Natsu grinned,

"I smell great, look," he tried to hug me but I dodged out the way.

"Natsu!"

"Fine," Natsu said exasperatedly, truding over to our bags, and taking both of them downstairs with him to the dorms.

I headed down to the room full of couches, finding a few people already there, making sure to get the best seats.

After quarter of an hour, pretty much everyone was sat on the floor with cushions, or on a sofa.

Pantherlilly was curled up on Levy's lap, Happy trying to siddle up next to Carla who was ignoring him, sat comfortably on Wendy's lap. Mira was sat between her sister and Laxus, plopped right in the middle of the thunder legion. Lisanna sat next to Bickslow, looking pretty damn nervous, and as I caught her eye I gave her a thumbs up, gesturing for her to strike up a conversation.

She chatted with Bickslow without too much trouble, though it helped that Lisanna could get on with pretty much anyone, and after a few minutes she seemed to relax. Erza was sat on her own, Flare clearly still with Jellal, but she looked quite happy despite being surrounded by happy couples; Juvia and Gray, Cana and a large bottle of brandy, Elfman and Evergreen, and Romeo's parents (who were making kissy faces at each other to embarrass their son).

Natsu still hadn't turned up when Mira started the vote on which Christmas movie to watch, so I decided to go and find him.

I headed down one floor to the dormitories and strode along the boys' corridor, standing in front of his bedroom door at the end and knocking loudly,

"Natsu, are you nearly done!?"

The bathroom door to my right opened and I felt my stomach not so much drop as fall through the floor. Natsu was standing in the door way, scowling, with only a towel around his waist, his hair tousled and his bare chest still dripping from the shower.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" He said, thankfully not noticing my brain had stopped working. "Why aren't you in pajamas?"

Concentrating very hard on looking into his eyes, I crossed my arms,

"Happy told me I had to stay for movie night, but I don't have any in my bag."

Natsu rolled his eyes and opened his bedroom door,

"I'll lend you some."

I didn't move as Natsu stode into his room, taking the opportunity to look him over as he pulled open one of his draws and pulled out some pajamas. He tossed them over to me and I caught them blankly, feeling my face heat up as Natsu raised his eyebrows,

"Your spirits are really rubbing off on you Luce. You planning on just perving on me while I change?"

I let out a squeak of what was meant to be disgust and quickly shut Natsu's bedroom door, standing alone in the hallway with pajamas in my arms.

Wishing I had Erza's requipping ability, I slipped into the boys bathroom to get changed, leaving my clothes and keys on top of the counter - I'd need to change back into them before walking home.

I came out just as Natsu was shutting his bedroom door, wearing long sleeved pajamas and his white scarf. His hair was steaming as he ran hot fingers through it, styling it as it dried. It dawned on me that that was probably why he smelled smokey.

"Y'know, that's not good for your hair," I said, glad that he was wearing long sleeved pajamas.

Natsu rolled his eyes.

"You were the one who told me to hurry up."

Natsu jerked his head in the direction of the corridor and I walked ahead of him, quickly striding down the corridor and back out into the stairwell.

We climbed one flight of stairs, but as we reached the landing Natsu pulled me to a stop

"What?" I asked, turning around to see Natsu pointing at the ceiling.

I looked up.

Someone had strung mistletoe on the light above us.

My stomach gave a nervous backflip as I looked back at Natsu, depesrately trying to keep my face blank as I raised my eyebrows,

"You _that_ eager to kiss me again?"

"Maybe." Natsu said quietly.

His answer made me feel like the golden magic in my chest was glowing. I didn't know whether it was magic or my heart thrumming as I stepped closer to him.

I lent up on my tip toes, determined to do something quickly before I could think about backing out, and gently pressed my lips against his.

I felt Natsu's warm hand slide into my hair, and as he kissed me back I felt like the golden magic in my chest was singing.

Feeling like I'd drift away if I didn't hold onto something, I reached out and grasped the front of Natsu's shirt, and Natsu pulled back suddenly, apparently thinking I was pushing him away.

His hand still in my hair, he looked at me uncertainly,

"This okay?"

"Yeah," I smiled up at his nervous expression, "I'm all fired up."

A grin spread on Natsu's face at these words, and this time he lent down to kiss me. His arms came around my waist, pulling me closer, and—

"—I KNEW IT!" Gray yelled, making me jump. I drew back a little, Natsu keeping me close with his arms still around my waist.

Gray was stood in the doorway to the movie room, pointing at us triumphantly,

"LEVY OWES ME 50 JEWEL!"

Natsu glared at him,

"I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING HERE!"

Gray ignored him, running back inside the room and slamming the door behind him.

From beyond the door I heard a muffled shout that sounded like an announcement for 'NaLu'. Natsu scowled at the closed door.

"Wanna go in then?" I asked, feeling nervous now that we were just standing there with our arms around each other.

Natsu looked back at me, frowning,

"I can't beat him up if Erza's in there."

I rolled my eyes, taking one of his hands off my waist and lacing our fingers together.

"We can't miss a Fairy Tail tradition Natsu."

He looked down at our interlocked the fingers and sighed.

"Fine...But only cause it's you."

My heart thudded a little at these words, and trying not to grin too much, I led the way up the stairs and opened the door.

There were a few wolf whistles as we walked in, and I felt heat rising in my face as Natsupulled me over to the end of one of the sofas.

Gray had sat back down next to Juvia, but he was waving at us emphatically, goggling at Erza.

"How are you not reacting to this? They were just making out on the stairs!"

Erza shrugged,

"They've kissed loads of times already."

There was another round of wolf whistles at this, and I was extremely glad that Mira started the movie.

Natsu let go of my hand so we could sit down, gently resting his arm around my shoulders, and I lent into him gladly.

Very aware we were being watched, I glanced around, my eyes stopping on Lisanna.

She was giving me the same thumbs up I'd given her. I couldn't help but grin.

* * *

It was very hard not to fall asleep while the movie played. I washed dishes for half the day, Lisanna and I dancing to Christmas songs on the radio as we worked. Now, on a comfy sofa, listening to gently tinkling Christmas music, and leaning against a human hot water bottle, I felt unbelievably relaxed.

When the movie ended, everyone got to their feet, and I yawned widely as the lights were turned on. I was dreading the walk back to my apartment - it was so much warmer in here.

"Tired?" Natsu asked.

"A little."

"Come on then," Natsu said, getting up and holding out his hand.

I took it, pulling myself into a standing position, and feeling eyes on us as we joined the queue for the door.

Happy ran over to us, curling up against Natsu's leg as we filed out the room, his eyes wide as he asked,

"Natsuuuu?"

"What is it buddy?"

"Can we open our presents? It'll be Christmas in a minute."

"Sure - we'll give Lucy our presents too."

"You both got me a Christmas present?" I asked.

The cat scowled up at me,

"Natsu said I had to."

Happy bounded ahead of us, weaving between people's legs as he trotted down the stairs, girls and boys filing into their seperate corridors and older guildmembers going home.

I wasn't all that surprised to see Juvia heading down the boys corridor with Gray, but we were the only two girls in the male procession.

Happy was already sat outside Natsu's bedroom door, his tail whipping back and forth in excitement, and as Natsu opened it the cat slipped inside the pitch black room.

Instead of turning the light on, Natsu lit his free hand on fire, dropping my hand as he walked over to his desk.

I closed the door, walking over to sit beside Happy on the bed, Natsu pulling open a desk draw and retrieving four packages.

As soon as Natsu tipped them onto the bed, Happy pounced on the package I'd given him, claws ripping into the paper. Natsu initially reached for his gift with his fire hand, but stopped, clearly remembering what had happened with Carpricorn's key.

"Doesn't matter if your hands are on fire," I said, "you won't damage it."

Natsu grinned, picking up the parsel and holding it between his hands, his flames providing light for Happy and I to open our gifts.

"What is it?" Happy asked, looking down at his unwrapped present.

"It's a grooming kit," I said, "I thought it'd help with Carla."

"That's like getting someone deodorant as a present!"

"I was trying to help you get a girlfriend fur ball."

Happy sniffed preciously.

"Carla is a lady! You don't just 'get' a lady!"

I rolled my eyes at the cat and looked down at my two gifts.

Picking up the smaller package first, Happy said,

"Don't know why I got you that if all you got me cleaning stuff."

I unwrapped a piece of Fairy Tail merchandise. It was a phone charm featuring Happy, one of the ones we sold online for fans of our 'illusion acts'.

"Thanks cat," I said, despite the cat not looking at me.

"You'd better not loose it! We're a team ya know! We're supposed to stay together!"

"I won't," I promised, stroking his head breifly. Happy seemed satisfied, and though he didn't look at me, he turned his attention to the only present left.

The box from Natsu felt warm as I picked it up. As soon as I removed the lid, light streamed out of it, and for a second I thought of the artefact that had stolen all my magic.

But the flickering light wasn't like my fireworks. Inside the box was a tiny jar, clearly made out of lacrima because there was a small fire burning merrily inside. There was a little arch on the lid, and as I slid my finger over it, the lacrima went from clear to cloudy, dimming the fire's light.

"I figured, cause I've got some of your magic, you should have some of mine." Natsu said, extinguishing the flames on his hands.

I slid my finger along the arch again, filling the room with his fire light, and watching his reaction as he looked down at his hand.

Lying on his palm was my present, a ring made by Gajeel, engraved with a dragon design. Levy had suggested it, knowing about Gajeel's artistic 'talents' (besides the shoo be doo whup jazz guitar).

"It's iron." I explained. "I keep hearing you shouting 'fire dragon, iron fist' when you fight Gray. Thought it would make it official."

Natsu slid the ring onto his right hand, turning it on his finger, the dragon engraving shining in his fire light.

I looked back at the jar in my hand, feeling slightly awkward,

"Seems a bit pathetic compared with a jar of magic."

Natsu shook his head.

"You're more than magic enough for me."

I laughed,

"That was so corny!"

"You're corny!" Natsu retaliated.

With a great glowing warmth in my chest, and Natsu's magic in my hand, I lent forwards and kissed him, briefly.

"Thank you," I said, drawing back only a little.

"You're welcome Luce," Natsu whispered, his green eyes crinkling as he smiled.

Natsu lent forwards a little, but before his lips could brush mine, Happy asked loudly,

"Is Lucy sleeping here tonight?"

Natsu drew back, frowning at his cat,

"Well it is kind of late."

"Is she sleeping in your bed?" Happy asked.

"I'm not gonna make her sleep on the floor," Natsu said obviously.

"You sure that's alright?" I asked, feeling nervous again.

Natsu looked at me, clearly confused,

"Course. I sleep in your bed all the time. Why wouldn't it be?"

I glanced at Happy, both of us clearly wondering how long it was going to take for the penny to drop.

"Well," I said, "y'know...a guy and a girl...sleeping in the same bed...if they're dating, they might..."

I looked at the wall that split Gray (and Juvia's) bedroom from Natsu's, hoping he'd get the idea.

Natsu frowned, looked around at the wall, and I saw his face slacken in realisation.

"Oh! I didn't mean...I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"No, I'm not uncomfortable—

"—I'm not expecting"

"—Nor was I!" The both of us looked away from each other, the air between us suddenly tense.

After a pause, Happy asked,

"Soo...are we going to bed?"

"Yep!" Natsu said, picking up Happy's grooming kit and putting it on his desk.

I stood up, putting my phone charm and jar of fire on his desk too, dimming the fire light so I could just make out the outline of Natsu's bed.

He got under the covers, shifting close to the wall and folding over one side of the duvet so I could get in.

I could feel Happy staring at me as he curled up at end of the bed, and feeling nervous I got under the covers. We lay side by side, both on our backs, feeling almost too excited for sleep.

"Merry Christmas Luce," Natsu said quietly.

"Merry Christmas Natsu," I whispered, smiling as he took my hand under the covers.

* * *

"IT'S CHRISTMASSSSSSSS!"

Happy's yell woke me up, and for a second I wasn't sure why.

The cat opened the door and light streamed in from the hallway...hallway?

I opened my eyes.

Natsu sat up beside me, rubbing his eyes as Happy soared around the room. Had the cat not started singing Christmas songs, with the worst singing voice I'd ever heard, I'd probably freak out a little more as the events of Christmas eve came back to me.

"Merry Christmas guys," Natsu mumbled.

"Humbug," I mumbled, pressing a pillow over my head as Happy's 'singing' grew louder.

Desperate to get away from the cat's carolling, I forced myeslf out of bed, saying,

"I'm gonna go and borrow someone's toothbrush."

"Why don't you just borrow mine?" Natsu asked, stretching.

"I'm not walking into the boys bathroom. They might be showering and I've seen more of Gray's birthday suit than I'd like."

Natsu tilted his head in agreement and got up too,

"See ya upstairs then."

Thankfully, Happy followed Natsu as he trudged towards the bathroom, and as I closed the door to Natsu's bedroom Gray's door was flung open.

"FLAME BRAIN," Gray shouted, sticking his head out into the corridor, "WILL YOU STOP STRANGLING YOUR CAT!?"

I grimaced at him, and Gray gritted his teeth as Happy sang even louder,

"This happens every goddamn year!"

Now Natsu was shouting along with Happy, and I quickly shut my eyes as Gray stormed out his room - I wasn't sure how much clothing he would be wearing as he strode past me towards the bathroom.

I took a few steps forwards, waving through Gray's open door with my eyes still closed,

"Merry Christmas Juvia!"

"Merry Christmas love rival! Juvia thanks you for resisting the temptation to look at Gray sama's—"

"—YOU'RE WELCOME!" I said quickly, walking on before she could glorify any of her soul mate's body parts.

Past the danger zone, I opened my eyes, not meeting anyone else until I'd entered the girl's dormitories.

Half way down the corridor, Lisanna emerged from her bedroom, clad in a fluffy dressing gown with cat ears on the hood.

"Merry Christmas," I said, grinning at both her and Levy, who emerged looking even more tired than yesterday.

"Merry Christmas," Lisanna said, pulling Levy and I into a hug.

"Merry Christmas." Levy intoned.

As Lisanna released us both, I gave Levy an extra hug. She patted my back a few times then drew away, trudging towards the bathroom.

Lisanna bit her lip, looking sympathetically at Levy as she dissapeared behind the bathroom door.

With a shared look, Lisanna and I followed, hoping the festivities would cheer Levy up a little.

* * *

After showering, Lisanna demanded we all change back into our pyjamas - another Fairy Tail Christmas tradition.

When we reached the pub floor upstairs we found the room had been rearranged, the tables set end to end and strenching from the door to the bar. It was just like breakfast yesterday morning, with every breakfast dish imaginable spread along the middle of the table, and people seated either side, most of them already drinking and all of them in pajamas.

Even Mr Makarov wore a onesie designed to look like a Father Christmas costume.

There were welcoming cries of "Merry Christmas!" as we sat down at the table, and as we loaded food onto our plates, the boys arrived.

Natsu, Gray, and Juvia sat opposite us, Juvia thankfully separating the two mortal enemies.

They all noticed Levy picking at her food, but before anyone could say anything purposefully cheery, Laxus had tapped her on the shoulder. He pulled a small box from his pocket and set it beside Levy's plate,

"Gajeel asked me to give you this if he was gone for Christmas."

Without waiting for a reaction, Laxus walked away, leaving Levy staring at the small box.

It was tied shut with red ribbon, and the tag on top read,

_Merry Christmas Shrimp_

Her fingers trembling slightly, Levy pulled the ribbon loose and lifted the lid.

Inside was a small, iron flower, like the ones she usually clipped on her hair band. It seemed Gajeel was pretty damn good at making jewellery, because for a small hair clip it was incredibly detailed. Each petal was a thin but not brittle, the edges barely rusty so that the flower was ringed in orange.

Looking down at it, Levy smiled a little sadly, then clipped the flower into her hair.

"I'm sorry." She said, so quietly that only Lisanna and I could hear. "I know its stupid worrying like this. I've just had this horrible feeling he's in trouble. I know I'm not a dragon slayer, so I can't know that but..."

Levy trailed off, her hand tracing the flower in her hair.

"It won't be long," I said, "after Christmas, we'll make sure we're ready to face Raven Tail, then we'll go and get him."

Levy looked up at me doubtfully,

"Master Makarov told me we can't make a move until the council says so."

Lisanna pulled her into a one armed hug,

"And since when has Fairy Tail ever done what they're told? Lucy's right. We'll train up a bit, and then we'll bring him home. We've got five dragon slayers - they won't know what's hit em!"

"Yeah!" I said determinately. "If we all band together, Raven Tail don't stand a chance!"

Levy smiled and let out a long sigh. She was still quiet, but as she finally seemed ready to eat properly.

Equally pleased as I was uncertain, I got back to my own breakfast, trying not to think about whether Flare would agree with our theory for gaurenteed success.

* * *

After breakfast the whole guild got involved with party games, while Mira, Laxus, Lisanna, and Yukino retreated to the kitchens to put the finishing touches to lunch.

Those who hadn't opened their Christmas presents took to unwrapping their gifts at the table, everyone except Cana passing their gifts around for the other's to look at. Cana's Dad had bought her some super rare Yu-Gi-Oh cards, and apparently she was more likely to loose a drinking game than let anyone lay a finger on them.

A guild-wide game of charades was really something to behold, especially with teams of people using magic to help them act things out.

I rang Spetto just before lunch, having forgotten about phoning her yesterday, and after exchanging Christmas greetings I asked about which private investigator my Dad had used. She promised to send me a detailed list in the post - unsurprisingly there were too many to just reel off. She asked after Natsu, but I could only tell her that 'we' were both great before a distraction forced me to hang up. Loke had summoned himself on top of Natsu, and Natsu wasn't pleased.

Before my soul mate could sent Loke back to the celestial realm, I dragged him off to the side and asked him what he was doing here.

"Merry Christmas to you too."

"Well you usually turn up when something's wrong," I said, trying not to dwell on the conversation from yesterday about Nirvana.

"Nothing's wrong. In fact I'd say everything's going right considering how Natsu didn't just try to kill me."

"What d'you mean?"

Loke cocked an eyebrow,

"Oh come on Beautiful. Are you really telling me I can't go back to Aries and gush about hearing wedding bells?"

"You are hearing things." I said, stowing the thought of Natsu in a white suit for later, and punching Loke in the arm. "And since when have you 'gushed' about me and Natsu?"

Loke grinned,

"You kidding? Aries is crazy about you and lover boy! Why d'you think I was always antagonising Natsu?"

"Because you find it fun to rile him up."

" _No_ , I was trying to rile him up so he'd get jealous and kiss you!"

I stared at Loke.

" _You_ almost kissed _me_ before Era's ball!"

Loke looked a little disgusted,

"I wouldn't have kissed you - I've known you since you were a baby, that would've been wierd! And talking of Era, my attempts to get you and lover boy together got me nothing but a kick where it counts."

"It was an accident!" I protested. "How was I supposed to know my immortal spirit was trying to get me 'laid'?!"

Loke's expression turned serious,

"Woah there I said get you together! As in dating. Under no circumstance is he to do anything more than kiss you, or I'll murder him myself - screw the celestial spirit king's orders!"

"The what?"

"What what?"

"What's the celestial spirit king?" I asked.

"Forget it, it doesn't matter," he said, not looking at me.

"Obviously it does," I pressed, "what's this kind ordering you to do?"

Loke patted me on the head,

"Great talking to you Beautiful, have a nice day!"

"Loke!" But the spirit had already vanished in a puff of spirit smoke.

I reached for my pouch of keys, determined to call him back, but realised I'd left it with my clothes in the boys bathroom.

Levy looked over at my questioningly and I made sure to rolled my eyes.

This celestial spirit king was news, but not news anyone needed to worry about today - espeically since Levy had just started to cheer up.

Hitching a grin onto my face, I returned to the festivities, determined to have a good time, and a good search of Fairy Tail's library later on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A late chapter it might be, but you'll still find your chapterly fact at the end!  
> Please enjoy some spectacular (forgotten Victorian) words of the English language, I hope they make up for the late posting :S
> 
> Zonderkite; a word meaning idiot, spoken with some irritation, like after being overtaken by a car who nearly crashed into you  
> Cumberworld; a person who is totally useless - a waste of space (no relation whatsoever to Bandylegged Cumberbund)  
> Flibbertigibbet; A nosy/gossiping kind of person  
> Mafflard; someone who's a klutz
> 
> Thanks for reading, and extra special thanks for the comments!  
> Hope to see you in the next chapter :D  
> M


End file.
